Wish Upon a Lost Wing
by Wingless Night
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke had everything in the world – and would never call himself lonely. But he learns what company is when a blonde Angel by the name of Uzumaki Naruto comes into his life, bringing with him more than Sasuke dared dream about. ShonenAi SasuNaru
1. A Meeting

**Title**: Wish Upon a Lost Wing

**Pairing**: SasuNaru, maybe some other people jumping on Naruto or Sasuke. Dunno yet. But the main pairing will be Sasuke/Naruto.

**Warnings**: um… language, um… shonen ai, yaoi later, who knows? It hasn't been written yet.

**Summary**: Uchiha Sasuke had everything in the world – and would never call himself lonely. But he learns what company is when a blonde by the name of Uzumaki Naruto comes into his life. AU. Shonen-Ai (maybe even some Yaoi), SasuNaru/NaruSasu

**Disclaimer**: I do not and never will own any products of Naruto, because I am a poor fangirl who needs nothing but her imagination and her godforsaken computer to create what we all love to call FanFiction. However, that does not excuse the fact that… that… awww, SHIT I forgot the script. Dammit… now what am I supposed to do. Tyr's gonna kill me sobs in a corner

**Notes**: Since Chibi-sempai (a.k.a. Nazo) can't seem to get her ass around to writing a story for my birthday LIKE SHE PROMISED! (joking, Chibi-sempai. I know you were busy, but I wanted to make my b-day special) I decided to take it into my own hands. So this story is premiering in honor of Kyuubi-kun's birthday – 28 October. Yeah, I'm pathetic, I know. Also, this will be a chapter fic, not just a one-shot.

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing**

**Prologue: A Meeting**

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"This is just part of the story of those who fight against the dwellers in darkness…"

- Daisuke Moriyama, author of _Chrono Crusade_

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Uchiha Sasuke was not unhappy with his life. His parents were rich, his brother was famous. He was seventeen and was already attending one of the top Universities in the country. All in all, Uchiha Sasuke had a pretty good life.

Even though he was away from home most of the time, coming back only a few times a year, Sasuke was not lonely. He knew that his parents would want him to be strong in the face of any and all weakness, and loneliness was just another of those weaknesses. He knew that it would vanish as soon as he turned on the television, so he paid little attention to it.

Little did he know how much his life would change on one brisk Autumn night.

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Sasuke was just getting out of his last class of the day. He pulled his coat tighter around him, trying to ward off the cold as he walked to the other side of the campus. Looking to the stars above him, he knew that it was late. He was planning on just going back to his dorm, get out some coffee and perhaps flick on the stereo or television while he did his homework. It was what he did every night.

Now, Sasuke didn't mind having a schedule. In fact, having a schedule fit his brooding personality. He knew where he needed to be at what time and what he did at those places. It was a simple life, but it wasn't like Sasuke needed so many activities to clutter his time. He knew that he was happy with this life – or happy on the inside.

He wore a mask that was completely indifferent to the outside world. He preferred it that way. Growing up, his parents had expected much of him and he had risen to meet those standards as best as he could. He couldn't be bothered with little things such as "personal happiness" and "friends." He needed to beat his brother, Itachi, just once.

That was Uchiha Sasuke's main goal in life.

That goal changed, along with a lot of other things on the 28th of October. It was on this Thursday that Sasuke would meet the one person who would change his life forever.

He was walking along, shivering slightly when the wind blew. The wind, he noted absently, was especially cold tonight.

It was then that he heard the yells of someone in pain. Dropping his book bag, which had been hung casually over his shoulder, Sasuke ran towards the sounds. He found a helpless blonde boy at the mercy of several men. Sasuke didn't recognize any of the men, but the blonde's trouble was simple enough.

Sasuke could smell the alcohol, even from where he was standing. These men were trying to pin the blonde down. They were ripping at his clothes frantically. The boy fought back but his efforts were useless. It was five on one, and the blonde obviously didn't know how to fight. He was struggling useless, trying to get away from the hands that kept groping him. He yelled for help again.

Sasuke shook himself out of the trance he seemed to be in. He dove into the five, punching and kicking relentlessly, trying to get them off the blonde. He wasn't known as one of the top five martial artists in the country for nothing. It wasn't long before his triumphed over the drunks. The Uchiha turned back to the boy, wondering if he was okay.

The blonde was sobbing relentlessly into his shirt. The boy was dressed in a white robe-like outfit. He had bright golden hair and blue eyes. Three whisker markings appeared on his cheeks. Right now, he had course tears dropping down his face. Sasuke couldn't help but feel pity as he looked at the blonde.

"Oy, what's your name?" he asked, in his usually indifferent tone. However, there was a slight kindness to his black eyes that wasn't usually there.

"U-U-Uzumaki Na-Naruto," the blonde stammered, still crying, though he seemed to be starting to calm down. Cerulean blue eyes looked up at the Uchiha. "A-Are you the o-one that saved me?"

Sasuke nodded, unsure of why Naruto was asking this question. Shouldn't it have been _obvious_ that Sasuke had saved him? They _were_ the only two conscious people within a hundred feet, at least.

The Uchiha was snapped out of his reverie when Naruto jumped to his feet and glomped the poor brunette, sending them both flying to the ground. Naruto landed on top and was currently squeezing all that remained of Sasuke's air out of his body.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," the boy kept repeating. Sasuke just sighed.

"Jeez, if you can't handle a couple of drunks, then don't walk around alone at night, usuratonkachi," Sasuke snapped at the boy. "Now get off me!"

"Sorry," Naruto said, jumping back and wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I… I guess I'm not used to customs around here."

"Where are you from?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto smiled. "Heaven," he replied with a happy smile, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Sasuke stared at him. "You have to be shitting me, kid," he grumbled. "I'm Atheist, I don't believe in a Heaven or Hell. So tell me the truth."

Naruto looked at the boy strangely, making the brunette slightly uncomfortable. "But I'm not lying… I'm an Angel, from Heaven," he said. "Kami-sama sent me to deliver a message to one of the Four Great Angels of Heaven, and…" His shoulders sank and he looked at the ground. "And I screwed up… again…"

"Look, kid," Sasuke grumbled. "Like I said, I don't believe in any of this shit… but do you have anywhere to go?"

Naruto looked up at Sasuke with suddenly blue eyes, shaking his head in a silent 'no'.

Sasuke sighed. His brain wracked for an answer to his problems and suddenly realized that he _couldn't_ just leave the blonde out here on his own. He would have to get Naruto somewhere safe. The only place he could think of as "safe" was his single-bed dorm room.

"Come with me then," Sasuke said, holding out his hand. His mind growled to him about how he was inviting a mental patient into his dorm room willingly and that if something bad happened – it was all Sasuke's fault and his mind would do nothing to help him.

Naruto stared at the hand for a moment before a grin lit up his vulpine face and he jumped to his feet, half-pulled up by Sasuke.

"Ano sa… ano sa," Naruto said quickly. Sasuke began to walk in the other direction, towards his book bag and then towards his dorm room. He was slightly unnerved by the fact that this boy wouldn't let go of his hand. "What's your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha Sasuke?" Naruto tried the name on his tongue. He smiled happily, knowing the other boy's name. It didn't take a lot for Naruto to smile. Sasuke was so caught up in his thoughts that it took him a few minutes to realize that several people were staring at the pair.

The reason for this was the fact that Naruto was hovering five or six inches _off_ the ground.

"Dobe!" Sasuke growled. "Care to put your _feet_ on the _ground_?"

No, Uchiha Sasuke was not in a very good mood right now, after finding a lost… what had he called himself, Angel? Well, after finding a lost psycho, Sasuke now learned that said lost psycho could fly. Not a very good thing.

It was only about ten minutes later that the two arrived at Sasuke's apartment. Naruto followed Sasuke inside, his big azure eyes staring around at everything.

"You… live alone?" he asked in a timid voice.

Sasuke nodded, questioning once _again_ why he had brought this blonde home to his apartment.

"Make yourself comfortable. You're gonna be staying here until we figure out what to do with you."

Naruto turned to Sasuke with a broad grin on his face and Sasuke felt his face heat up a little bit when he saw it. Ignoring it, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and clear his head.

While Sasuke was doing that, Naruto had sat down on the couch. He found himself amused by the feel of how you could sink into the cushions. Soon, he found his eyelids drooping and he curled up on the couch, falling fast asleep. A small smile lit up his whiskered face.

When Sasuke came out of the shower, dressed and toweling his hair dry, he noticed that Naruto was asleep on the couch. The boy's breathing was light, and he seemed to be tired.

Smiling slowly to himself, Sasuke walked over to the closet and grabbed a light blanket – for it really wasn't cold in the apartment – and draped it over the blonde.

_He looks so innocent when he's asleep_, Sasuke thought to himself. _Kind of like an Angel. _Then his thoughts jerked themselves out of his fantasy world and back to reality.

_What am I going to do with some kid that claims he's an Angel? That can't be true! Angels and things – even if they did exist, I have never seen them nor believed in them so there should be no reason for one to show up on my doorstep. Goddammit! Ah, well. All I can do is wait until he wakes up. _

Not even bothering to do his homework, Sasuke went into the other room, shutting off the lights and crawling into bed. Adjusting himself to be more comfortable, the boy finally fell asleep.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Yeah, this chapter sucked, but whenever I get around to writing the actual storyline – well, its going to be better. I just had to get Sasuke and Naruto together and I really had no ideas on how to do that. I know its short, but this is just the prologue so NYAH!_


	2. Fallen Fledgling

_Hao__, minna-san! How are you all today? Well, it doesn't matter, because if you are reading this is means that you have survived the shitty beginning of this story! Do not worry. It will get better! So here's chapter two! YAY! Oh yeah… most of it is written while watching a Gackt concert. Gackt… ((drools)) Anyways, I love Gackt and everyone in the world should love him too! They should! I swear! Basically, I'm saying this so that if there is random shit that goes on, its because I'm too busy oogling Gackt to really pay attention to what I'm writing. Yeah. That's pretty much it _

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing**

**Chapter One: Fallen Fledgling**

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"I want to go somewhere, anywhere. Somewhere where I can forget everything… where I'll forget everything and be reborn."

- Kira Aso, _Mars_

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The next day was a Saturday – meaning that Sasuke didn't have any classes, for which he was grateful. His strange visitor from the night before had not disappeared during the night, which meant that Naruto had not been some type of stress-induced hallucination.

Sasuke stared at the blonde, who was sitting across from him at the table, head in his hands as his elbows balanced him on the table and smiling at Sasuke.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" the brunette asked, for lack of better conversation.

"Angels don't eat," Naruto responded, allowing his arms to fall.

"So you can't eat or drink anything?" he asked. Naruto shook his head.

"After all, I'm only a messenger angel. I'm not really that strong. But my dream is to become one of the four great angels – like my hero, Arashi! Unfortunately, becoming Hokage no Tenchi, the Fire Shadow Angel, is a long way off. And nobody believes that I can do it."

The blonde looked depressed now, as though the thought of his dream was a sorrowful, rather than a joyful thing. Sasuke quickly swallowed the last of his bagel. He invited Naruto in the living room, where he sat on the floor, allowing Naruto to sit across from him. The boy did.

"So, Naruto, was it?" he asked, eyebrow raising slightly. "How do I know what you're telling me is true. I mean – that you're an Angel and all."

Naruto stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes. A faint blue light surrounded the boy as _something_ began to grow out of his back. Two bright, transparent angel wings grew from below his shoulder-blades. Sasuke stumbled back when the bright light came from no where, but found himself intrigued when the wings began to turn the color of the boy's eyes, except a slightly lighter shade.

The blonde opened his eyes. Sasuke stared at him in shock, unable to say anything.

"Will that do as proof?" he asked, his wings fading from view.

"How come they went away?" Sasuke asked a moment later when he had regained his voice.

A faint pink tinged Naruto's cheeks as he scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Um… being a lower class angel and all… I don't have much power. I can't control it that well either and its harder to keep my wings in view in the Mortal Realm. Different energies."

Sasuke shook his head, trying to take in all of this information. So the blonde really _was_ an Angel. That meant that there was probably a God, or something like that and… gah! This was all so mind-boggling. It confused the poor Uchiha but he didn't let it show.

Before Sasuke could say anything else, the blonde had tackled him, sitting on his stomach and looking down eagerly. "Na, na, Sasuke?" he asked. "What kinds of things do humans do? This is my _first_ time to the Mortal Realm… and I want to learn about mortals so that I can graduate from Messenger to Scout and then to Warrior and then Guardian and FINALLY Hokage!"

He was grinning down at the brunette innocently, who couldn't really think of how to respond.

"I… I suppose we could walk around," Sasuke finally agreed weakly.

Naruto cheered, a bright smile on his face. Sasuke felt as though he wanted to smile back, which was absurd, for Sasuke _never_ smiled. He shook his head and pushed the blonde off him.

"As long as you stay on the ground," he growled, not wanting people to stare at him for having a floating companion that wasn't a bird. He looked at Naruto, noticing that the boy was wearing the torn robes that Sasuke had found him in.

"And if you change."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. "Why?" he asked. "What's wrong with my robes?" He pouted slightly.

"They aren't normal, and _I _don't want to be stared at," he grumbled. The Uchiha stared at the blonde, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Either you follow those two conditions or else you're not going on a walk."

Naruto crossed his arms, a cute pout covering his features. "I don't have any other clothes, though," he mumbled.

Sasuke sighed, expecting this. "You can borrow some of mine," he said. Naruto smiled at him and Sasuke had to turn his head away so that he wasn't blushing. He climbed to his feet and motioned for Naruto to follow him. Sasuke went into the adjacent room that was his, hearing Naruto enter behind him.

"Wow…" Naruto breathed softly.

His cerulean eyes shot around the room, taking in all that was there. It wasn't much. There weren't any posters or pictures covering the walls. The wall was painted a paste-like white. The sheets and blankets on the bed were a dark blue. There was no rug. Nor were there any clothes on the floor. There was a desk, computer, dresser and chest, but nothing else. A bookcase stood in one corner, but the books weren't anything fantasy. It was all educational.

"What?" Sasuke grumbled.

Naruto blushed. "You're room… it's not how I thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"Well, I would've thought that you would have had a lot of mystery novels on your bookshelf, and there would be pictures on the walls – even if it was only scenery. I would also expect blue walls from you. Umm…" Naruto's face grew redder. He looked down, shuffling his foot on the wooden floor. "I don't know why I would expect that… you just seem like that type of person."

Sasuke's fingers itched to go through Naruto's soft golden locks, though he had no clue why. Years of training to be a stoic bastard kept him under control, however. He shoved away the questions that floated around his mind about the blonde in front of him. The boy was nothing special! He couldn't be… not to Sasuke, of all people. _No one_ was important to Sasuke! It had always been that way.

And that was the way that it always will be.

Sasuke shook his head slowly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that were distracting him.

"Here, dobe, you can wear this," he said, pulling out a pair of black baggy pants and a shirt that had a picture of Gackt on it and the singer's name. He also pulled out a pair of boxers and tossed them at the blonde.

Naruto stared at the clothes in confusion, then turned back to Sasuke. He was supposed to wear these things? Shaking his head, he began to take off the remains of his robe. Sasuke growled lowly in his throat. Naruto looked at him in confusion, his chest bare.

"In the _bathroom_, dobe," he nearly shouted, pointing to a door.

Naruto looked at him, confused. Shrugging, he went into the bathroom to change into the clothing. Sasuke, sitting on his bed, put his head in his hands.

_He… doesn't know anything about… anything_, Sasuke realized with a panicked look. _That means… I have to… teach him. What the fuck did I get myself into!_

Sasuke heard the door click open and he looked up, only to stare at the boy, blinking with disbelief. Naruto _didn't even know how to get dressed!_ The thought terrified the normally calm and fearless Uchiha. It terrified him so much, that he was trembling.

Naruto had put the shirt on backwards and inside out. The pants were backwards, with the button and zipper in the back. And then there was the matter of the boxers. They were over the pants.

"Tch," Sasuke said, mentally counting in doubles in order to calm down. It was a trick that he had learned from Orsen Scott Card in _Ender's Game_.

"All right, strip," Sasuke grunted.

Naruto looked at him in confusion. "Stripe?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "Take off the clothes. I'm going to teach you how to put them on right. Just take off the pants and boxers for now. Leave the shirt on."

Luckily – or unluckily – the shirt was long enough that it went down all the way to the mid-thigh area. Naruto took off the pants. Sasuke then flipped the boxers so that they were able to be on the right way.

"Just slide them on, okay?" he growled. This was _not_ what he had wanted to do when he had woken up that morning.

Naruto did as directed. Next Sasuke straightened out the pants and taught the blonde how to put them on. A moment later, the Angel had been able to do it right. The shirt wasn't that hard to teach.

"There, dobe, that's how you wear normal clothes," he said.

Grateful, and not realizing how embarrassing the entire process, Naruto flew at the Uchiha with his special tackling glomp, which sent both of them to the floor.

"Thank you!" he said, nuzzling into Sasuke's chest, his hair just tickling the boy's neck.

Sasuke completely froze. He was completely at lost for what to do. People come close to him he wasn't new to – after all he had a huge fanclub that he hated with all his might. However, this was the first time that he didn't _want_ to push the person nuzzling him away.

After a few moments frozen like this, Sasuke finally found it in himself to growl out, "Get off, Naruto!"

Surprisingly, the blonde listened to his wishes. Sasuke shook his head, getting to his feet. "If we're going to go – let's leave now," he suggested. "I have homework to do later on, so don't bug me about nothing later."

Naruto was too busy being happy at just leaving and was jumping up and down to hear much of what Sasuke was saying. Figuring that that was what happened, Sasuke shook his head. He just _knew_ that he was going to have to yell at Naruto later. He wondered how well the blonde would listen.

As soon as the pair was outside, Naruto was running left and right, trying to find out as much as he could from the "spirits of the land," as he called them. Sasuke was content with just following him. Naruto looked cute.

Currently, Naruto was sitting in a giant oak tree. One hand was on the trunk he was closest to, and his eyes were closed. Sasuke figured that this was him listening to whatever he was listening to. Suddenly, Naruto stood up with a goofy grin and jumped out of the tree, sailing towards Sasuke. A huge grin was on the blonde's face as he outstretched his arms.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Sasuke had his arms outstretched as well. The caught the boy's waist as the blonde's hands settled on his shoulders. A grin appeared for a half a second on his face before he covered it up again. While he was thinking about what he was doing – and still holding the blonde – Naruto hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you!" he said, almost crying. Sasuke looked down at him, a quiet smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.

"What's to thank?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

Naruto smiled shyly now, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Heaven isn't all that great for the lower classes of Angels, like me. We… we're picked on a lot. Me, especially…"

"Why?"

Naruto shook his head, though Sasuke noticed that he unconsciously gripped his stomach. "N-nothing that I know," he stammered. He looked up at Sasuke tearfully. "D-Don't ask me about it… please!"

"Fine, I won't… don't make it sound like I'm forcing you to tell me anything," Sasuke grumbled. "I'm not a person who pries. Tell me whenever you feel like it – and not until then."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Sorry…" he murmured, almost as though he would burst into tears at any moment.

Sasuke sighed. He really didn't like seeing the blonde like this – he didn't know why either. It was just something that he couldn't explain.

There was a sound of snickering somewhere nearby. Sasuke could feel Naruto trembling against him, and he protectively drew his arms around the boy, scanning the foliage around them on the forest-like campus to find the source from the voice.

The source was a boy with red hair and green eyes. His smile was wicked and Sasuke felt a strange feeling crawl up his spine at the sight of this new person. The redhead was about as tall as Naruto – maybe a little taller. He was dressed in dark clothes. What alerted the brunette to anything supernatural was the sand that swirled around the boy like a tornado of glistening crystals, for there wasn't enough for the view to be completely obscured. He stood there, arms crossed, glaring down at the two.

Sasuke didn't like the redhead. He knew that. Naruto shaking from fear only boosted his dislike for the sand-weilder.

"Aah, Naruto… why'd they send someone like _you_ to Earth?" the teenager said. He manipulated the sand to create a walkway down to the ground and then proceeded to use the walkway to get nearer to the two.

"Shut up, Gaara!" Naruto yelled, angered by the redhead. He broke free of Sasuke's grasp, standing in front of the brunette.

"You think you can protect him from _me_, you little weakling?" he growled. "I haven't fed in days and a human soul is just what I need."

Naruto noticed the sand creeping towards Sasuke as Gaara alighted on the ground. His conscious began to take a different turn – wanting to protect Sasuke at all costs.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Naruto shoved Sasuke out of the way, just as the sand came in. Sasuke stared from his spot as sand wrapped around Naruto, completely blocking the blonde from view.

Suddenly, a bright red light flashed from the few cracks in the sand. Naruto was screaming. Subconsciously, the urge to get to Naruto overran Sasuke and he took a step closer.

"Oh shit… you… _human_," a new voice called. "Get the fuck away from that!"

Sasuke turned to see a strange boy behind him. Beside the brown-haired winged-creature was a white puppy. The boy had two red lines down his face, his brown eyes looking behind Sasuke with fear.

"Akamaru!" the boy shouted at the pup. "Go back and get Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama! We need help in this!"

Gaara stared at the sand encased red light with a sneer. Sure, he had been aiming for the human – but an Angel's soul would make a better meal.

The small white dog immediately transformed into a large wolf with wings at his master's command. He growled something to the boy, who seemed to understand it, and shot off towards the skies. Sasuke was gaping at him and was only pulled out of the way by the dog's master.

"Who _are_ you?" Sasuke managed to ask as the Angel – or what he assumed to be an Angel – pulled him back into the forests.

"Inuzuka Kiba, Messenger Angel," Kiba introduced himself. His wings slowly vanished after he shot both of them out of the way of an astounding wave of fire that had burst through the sand.

Sasuke looked at the being that had come out of the sand. It was no longer Naruto. The boy had vanished – or so it seemed. Instead of it being Naruto there, a large fox stood. Red eyes gleamed with matching crimson fur. The claws and teeth of the creature were sharp as steel, and deadly as well. What Sasuke noticed, however, was not the claws or the teeth or even the absence of those summer-sky blue eyes.

It was _nine_ tails.

The fox had _nine tails!_

Someone else had to find this almost comical if not for the situation, right? Sasuke, as it were, was trying not to laugh.

Kiba noticed this. He shot a glare at the human.

"What's so funny?" he wanted to know.

"Nine… tails…" Sasuke merely breathed out. "A fox… with nine… tails…"

Kiba sighed. This human was most likely insane if he could find a fox with nine tails this amusing. He looked towards the skies, hoping Akamaru would return soon. He didn't want to think about what would happen if the dog didn't.

"That's not just any fox, though," Kiba explained to Sasuke. "That's the King of Demons – the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

Sasuke, finally getting himself under control again, just stared at Kiba. "Eh?" he asked, not really caring for the answer. "Where's Naruto?"

Kiba turned his head away. "Probably dead. That demon has no love for anyone and he wouldn't let even his host to survive, probably."

Sasuke felt rage overcome him. He grabbed the brown-haired boy by his collar, snarling, "What do you mean _dead_?" He paused. "He's an Angel – he's already been alive, right? That means he's already dead."

Kiba shook his head. "Angels aren't humans. Humans are humans. Angels are angels. Some people believe that when you die, you become an Angel. That's not true. Angels are some of the purest souls that ever walked the Earth. They are born in Heaven – born from eggs."

"So… Angels can die?" Sasuke asked with disbelief.

"Everything that lives must one day die," Kiba told him. "Even Angels."

"Aah, that's true Kiba-kun, but I don't think that Naruto is quite dead yet, neh?" a voice came from behind them. Sasuke and Kiba whirled to see two figures standing there: a woman and a man, both with grand wings protruding from right below their shoulder blades.

The woman's blonde hair was long, strung in two pigtails at her jawline. She was wearing a plain tunic with a pair of pants. Brown eyes stared down at the two kindly. He wings were an orangish-red, like fire. On her forehead was a strange diamond.

"Tsunade-sama!" Kiba exclaimed, happy to see the upper-class Angel.

"How long has Naruto-kun been like this?" Tsunade asked.

"Ten minutes, at the most," Kiba answered. Tsunade turned her eyes back to the crimson fox, who was trying to locate any humans to devour. Unluckily for him – it was a collage campus and _no one_ came out during the day on Saturday.

The man behind Tsunade was a white-haired man, dressed in strange robes that seemed to be put together in a drunken state. He had a really big pimple on his nose that Sasuke couldn't help staring at for a few moments. His wings were a sapphire blue, like the depths of an ocean.

"Jiraiya-sama! Tsunade-sama!" Kiba said. "You gotta do something… I'm just a Messenger Angel, I can't do anything this big."

Jiraiya sighed. He patted Kiba on the head, ruffling his locks. "We'll put a good word of you in with Sarutobi-sama. Maybe you'll be a Scout soon."

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade barked.

Jiraiya grumbled under his breath. To Sasuke, it sounded something like, "This would be so much easier with Anko and Ibiki around!"

Of course, Sasuke had no clue who they were talking about.

"Well then, we're here, you old pervert," a feminie voice called from the treetops. Looking up, Sasuke saw two more Angels fall from the sky. One had silver wings and the other an emerald color. Both wore trenchcoats. The male's was blue and the female's was brown.

"Anko-sama!" Kiba said, eyes shining with admiration. "Ibiki-sama."

"You two stay here, and let the four of us deal with this," Tsunade snapped. Kiba and Sasuke both nodded as the four Angels swooped out into the clearing.

As they watched, Sasuke had to ask, "Who are they? And who is Sarutobi-sama?"

The four Angels had surrounded the beast, each keeping a weary eye out for Gaara. The fox looked at all of them, a smirk on his lips as he bared his teeth. Each of the Angels began to draw power from inside of them. A faint white light, mixed in which blue, silver, red and green, surrounded them, connecting in a circle around the fox.

"Those are the Shadow Angels," Kiba explained. "They answer only to Kami-sama. Tsunade-sama is Hokage, Jiriaya-sama is Mizukage, Anko-sama is Kazekage, and Ibiki-sama is Tsuchikage."

"Isn't there five of them?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba nodded, brushing off Sasuke's knowledge as something Naruto must have told him. "The fifth one, Raikage, isn't here."

Sasuke nodded.

The bright circular light grew so that it was dome shaped. In fact, neither the Angel or the human could see through it, so they could only guess at what was happening inside.

With an even brighter flash of light that had Sasuke covering his eyes, it was over. The four Angels stood, exhausted but there was an aura of triumph around them. In the center lay Naruto. Sasuke's shirt was completely destroyed, but he could see the steady rise and fall of Naruto's chest. Slowly, Tsunade went over to the boy. She picked him up, one hand holding his shoulders, while the other hand looped under his knees. Sadly, she walked back over to where Kiba and Naruto were.

"Tsunade-sama… is he… alive?" Kiba asked softly, his eyes wide with fear and hope.

Tsunade smiled at him. "Yes… he's alive… there were just some… changes, that's all," she said.

She turned to Sasuke. "You… human!" she barked.

Sasuke started when he realized he was being addressed. "What?" he growled out, eyesbrows furrowed.

Tsunade smirked at him. "The kid's not allowed back in Heaven… for a while. Kami-sama clipped his wings because of Kyuubi breaking loose," she was telling him. Sasuke listened closely, figuring that he could sort it all out in his head.

"Do _not_ tell Naruto _why_ he was kicked out of Heaven… he will need to learn that in his own time," she continued. "Also, he will be enrolled in your school Uchiha Sasuke… and we can fix things so that he shares your dorm and everything. The thing is – we cannot erase his memories or anything of that sort. He will remember being an Angel. We need you, Uchiha-kun, to help him live for a while as a human."

"What?" Sasuke yelled. "I can't take care of him!"

"Oh… we'll be sending Angels to help you," Anko said with a devilish grin. She ruffled Kiba's hair. "Kiba-kun here is one of them. He'll be living in the dorm next to yours, especially since he's been promoted to Scout! The other one is the other Scout that's around your age… Nara Shikamaru-kun." She grinned. "He should be helpful. Asuma-chan trained him, and Kurenai-chan trained Kiba, so expect the two of them – as well as Naruto's trainer, Kakashi-kun to stop by every once in a while." The purple-haired angel looked thoughtful, tapping a finger against her lip. "Hmm… is there anything I forgot?"

"Stay away from Gaara," Ibiki said suddenly. He was, by far, the most serious of all Five Kages. "He's dangerous and he's had it in for Naruto for the last century or so."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Century?" he echoed.

"Yes. Naruto is young, though, only four centuries old… that age to us Angels is like the age eighteen to you humans," Jiraiya told him, so that he wouldn't be too confused.

"However," Tsunade butted in. "This _is_ Naruto's first time to Earth, unlike most Angels. We couldn't trust him down here, especially with Gaara running around out to kill him. You have to keep a close eye on him. He'll be in all of your classes, so you'll be able to keep a close eye on him. He's retained some of his powers, because without them – he wouldn't be able to keep the demon under control. And don't worry about things – you'll be fine."

"Good luck with the brat," Jiraiya said before Tsunade lay the blonde down on the forest floor. "He should awaken around tomorrow."

Four sets of wings _fwooshed_ out to their full width and with a mighty sweep of these wings, the four Kages were sent soaring into the air, leaving Kiba and Sasuke behind, staring after them. After a moment of staring at what could no longer be seen, the two looked down at Naruto. He was completely out of it, barely breathing.

"You want to carry him, or should I?" Kiba asked suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had been there a moment before.

Sasuke growled softly at Kiba, giving him a hard glare, before picking the blonde up, bridal style, and walking slowly back to his dorm.

"Guess it will be you, then," Kiba grumbled as he followed the Uchiha.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_I hate this chapter. It started out cute, but the entire Kyuubi thing and the four Kages – well, I had planned for the five Kages to come in… I just have yet to decide on who the fifth Kage is. Oh, and if you guys haven't guessed it… Sarutobi is God… . Yeah, I couldn't think of anything better for the old geezer… In reference to Gaara, I love him. So of course, I feel like a horrible monster when I wrote him being an evil bastard. But I was getting sick of using Orochimaru for most of my evilness and I would've used Itachi… except then Sasuke would have to know about all this shit before Naruto came and I just couldn't have that! _

_Anyways, on to reviews… because I say so! Oh yeah, before that – congratulate me. This is 9 pages, with 4124 words. :-P Yeah, I'm proud of me too. NOW on to reviews. _

_Melrose Stormhaven: Yeah, I liked the fact that Naruto is kinda like an Angel… but even Angels have their Demons sometimes (snickers to self and realizes how completely stupid, cliché and contradictory the former sentence sounded) Gomen… gomen…_

_AmethystRoze__: Well, of COURSE Sasuke's is Atheist… and I love that line too… its cute, according to me… and funny… ((gets random image of Sasuke as a priest)) Ack! No! ((bats it away)) bad, bad, bad image there!_

_ChibiNekoSakura__: Yeah, Naru-chan is an Angel and since Sasuke has NO reason to outright hate him, he's actually going to be NICE… well, as nice as Sasuke can be and stay in character. _

_Elly__ Stormrage: Yeah, this is loosely based on Wish, but not in the way that it's any type of crossovers. Of course, there are some parts that seem like Wish, but its not all Wish… its more me than Wish. However, since I took some ideas from Wish… that's why it's called "Wish Upon a Lost Wing." Toki-chan helped me come up with the title._

_Maliciously Creative: First off – I LOVE YOUR NAME! It's great! Thanks for the happy birthday… wow… I never heard that one before. Then again, I don't think I've had any kind of pick-up line used on me because I usually scare everyone away. Not on purpose, of course… but just because I love doing insane things… and they find that weird… silly peoples. _

_Momochi__ Zabuza II: Thanks for the compliments on the story. ((waves SASU/NARU banner around proudly)) WHEE!_

_Aragornthia__: Wheee, you read my other stories? Do you review? Your name seems unfamiliar to me… so I dunno. Thanks for the compliment though… it boosts my ego! And yes, its loosely based on Wish. _

_Animeperfect__You like that part best? It makes me get a warm, fuzzy kind of feeling when I get the image of Sasuke tucking Naruto in. Especially if Naruto's an Angel. _

_YaoiLover__ S: Yay… mou… is that picture SasuNaru? ((cackles)) Anyways, thanks for the happy birthday. It made me feel special and all. Wheee… Well… Sasuke thinks it may have been a trick of the eyes… of all the people that stared at them. Sasuke is an Atheist, though, so I can understand where he's coming from. At least… he's an Atheist in this fic. _

_Stupidbakaznfool__: Yeah, but I hope to move away from the Wish storyline… mainly because instead of it being the Wind Angel who "fell" from Heaven… its Naru-chan! A mere Messenger Angel… _

_Ghostninja85: Don't worry, I'll get around to my other fics soon. I just wanted to update this one. I plan on getting to hopefully, two more before the weekend's up. I don't think it will happen, but it's my goal. _

_Foxmoonshadow__: thanks for reviewing. Yeah, I like the idea of Naruto as an Angel… and the way that I'm writing… it includes angst! YAY for ANGST! ((ahems)) sorry, I'm an Angst fan… obviously. _

_Anukis__-san: Bah… you should sleep more often if you get that giggly at only 10. Anyways, thanks for the review… yes… the perfect date. Wanna know something? I had that chapter done two days before my birthday… but I withheld it until then, just for that reason._

_Mkh2: Yeap! Just a smidge like Wish._

_Eyes0nme: thanks for the compliment. I hope its still… kinda… cute… I dunno if it is though. _

_Yum: Thank you for the birthday wish! Of course I will continue! MWA HAA HAA! Here's the next chapter. Yeah… nobody got me anything this year… pissed me off… so I got myself something!_

_TenshiKaitou__: Interesting concepts? What do you mean by that? Thanks for the review, by the way… but I really wanna know what you mean by interesting concepts! T.T_

_WaterBookLover__: Yeap yeap! Lots of people realized that, but Sasuke's not a doctor… not like what's his name was. It's been too long! I can't remember anyone except Koryu, Kohaku, Hisui and yeah… that's just about it… . _

_: No, no, no, he didn't **fall** from Heaven, per se. He just took a wrong turn and ended up taking the portal down to Earth by accident. Since he was curious, he decided to explore whatever was around here (mainly because he didn't know how to get back) Only people with psychic powers can see Naruto's wings… and there's now five great angels, because they are the Kages. _

_HikariChang__ Nani? I do? Thanks for the compliment. _

_KageKitsune16: No one's written about Naruto being an actual Angel before? Wow… that knocks it up to two original ideas, I suppose… whoo! TWO! _

_Toki Mirage: Yeah, I changed it… because I didn't want it to be too much like Wish… so yeah… he still managed to get his wings clipped though. Yes, Naruto is adorable. _

_IceHeart19: Unique? But… lots of people compare the two to Angels and all that fun stuff… anyways, thanks for the review. Hope I'll see your name on my review lists again. _

_Yuen-chan: Based… yes… continual basedness? No. I plan on taking this somewhere where… I really don't know where, but neh! _

_Kin Uchiha: Yeah, I had a good b-day and all. Thanks for asking or hoping or whatever. Thanks for reviewing :-P_

_Junko the Lost: Aww, that's sweet – telling me it doesn't suck. Well, Naruto gets better – I just had to figure out someway for Naruto and Sasuke to meet as Angel and Human… and I had just finished updating I Bleed Black, so yeah… _

_Me: I'm not taking your suggestion the wrong way. I just was braindead on how the two should meet – and I didn't want to introduce Gaara in the first chapter, so I came up with random drunks (because they always seem to work) and so don't worry – none of that in this story. Strictly I Bleed Black and Smile Empty Soul…_

_Thanks everyone for your reviews! They really helped me out! And got my ass working on this chapter more than I would've. So keep on reviewing, though the story will come out either way. _


	3. Dream for Me

_All right, here's chapter three for everyone to enjoy. I started it during Astronomy class, I think. I'm not entirely sure anymore. Things get confusing a lot – heh heh. Anyways, here it is, so I hope everyone likes it. A bit more of the storyline will, hopefully, be revealed. _

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing   
****Chapter 03: Dream for Me**

* * *

"I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad – the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."   
- Tears for Fears, _Mad World_

"I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad – the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."- 

* * *

Sasuke sighed, handing Kiba his keys while trying to comfortable hold on Naruto. The Uchiha knew that he couldn't open the door to his dorm room and hold the blonde at the same time. Kiba understood what Sasuke was wordlessly asking of him and, unlike the blonde angel, he knew how to use most things in the human realm. The door swung open and Sasuke stepped in.

He came to a sudden halt about three steps in.

The Uchiha looked around him. Although this was the same place his apartment had been; it was not the same as he had left it only a few hours ago. The old two-room complex had become a four-room apartment. He went over to the couch, trying to hide his surprise, and dumped Naruto there. The brunette stared around at what had become his home in wonder. The almost empty cabinets he had left that morning were now filled with food. All of the dirty dishes were clean and the refrigerator/freezer unit was stuffed. Walking over to a counter, which was mysteriously devoid of stains, he noticed a piece of paper on it. Slowly, Sasuke picked it up and read what was scrawled on it.

_Uchiha- _

_Since you are taking care of Naru-chan for us; Jiraiya, Anko, Ibiki and I thought we should at least try and make your living arrangements more comfortable for the two of you. We'll pay for whatever you need for Naruto. Thanks for your help. _

- _Tsunade   
__Hokage no Tenshi_

Sasuke looked at the note and back to the blonde on the couch. Kiba was standing near the Uchiha's charge, looking slightly lost.

The brown-haired Scout grinned at Sasuke when he saw the brunette staring at him. "Good luck, Uchiha-san," he told him. "With Naruto… you're going to need it."

The Inuzuka turned to leave. "Wait!" Sasuke called out.

Kiba swiveled around once more. "Huh?" was all that escaped his throat.

"What do you mean 'with Naruto, you're going to need it'," Sasuke wanted to know. He really didn't need to have a trouble-maker in his apartment, and even though he liked the blonde, he would toss him out – Angels be damned!

Kiba grinned good-naturedly. "Nothing is really wrong with Naruto," he assured the brunette. "He's just… different. He doesn't know anything about personal space, and he doesn't know what it means to keep his mouth shut about some things. He can't keep a secret for his life." The Inuzuka looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Sasuke.

"But he is the best friend I've ever had… he's reliable. And he'll always be there, no matter if Kami-sama wants him elsewhere or not. He's kind like that."

"I… don't understand," was all that Sasuke found himself murmuring.

Kiba just saluted him playfully. His face turned serious again. "In all honesty, I'm jealous of you," he confessed. "Naruto's done a lot for me – and I would take care of him if I could, but that job was entrusted to you. If even Anko and Ibiki agreed with that, it means that you have something special about you. I don't know what it is – but trust isn't won easily with those two. So, for all of Heaven's sake, watch out for the idiot."

Sasuke could only nod as Kiba left. He promised himself absently that he would make sure that no harm came to Naruto. He didn't know really why he swore such a thing, but he knew that after he had done so that he wouldn't regret it. Not only was it an oath, but Sasuke felt happy – comfortable – around Naruto, and he wanted to know why.

What was it about this Angel that interested him so much? What was it about Naruto that managed to break past the barriers that Sasuke had been constructing for years? Naruto was innocent, carefree, dense, lovable, and everything that Sasuke was not.

They had nothing in common.

Yet for some reason, the Uchiha could only see their meeting as some kind of Fate.

Picking up the blonde Angel, he carried the boy to Naruto's room (which was one of the new additions) and laid the blonde on the bright orange bed that was set up in the room already. He pulled the covers out, removed Naruto's shoes and then tucked the blonde in. Wiping the golden bangs away from his eyes, Sasuke found himself smiling.

So many questions surrounded this boy, and yet the Uchiha found himself okay with not knowing the answers. He had a feeling they would come to him in good time anyway.

"Good night," he whispered as he flicked the light switch and went back to his own room, slipping into bed after changing into his pajamas and falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke awoke with a feeling of dread seeping over him. Snapping himself into consciousness immediately, the Uchiha hopped out of bed, frantically trying to remember if anything had happened lately that would make him feel this way. 

He ran into Naruto's room, finally recalling that he had a houseguest for who-knew-how-long. The blonde was tossing and turning, occasionally yelling out. His eyes were shut and his movements were sluggish, so Sasuke guessed that Naruto was asleep.

All of the sudden, Naruto let out a loud scream, but it was quickly cut off, as though something had pressed against Naruto's throat.

But nothing was there.

Not wanting to see the blonde in pain, Sasuke rushed over to Naruto. When he put his hand on his charge's arm, the boy froze up. Sweat was pouring down Naruto's forehead.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. "Oy! Naruto!"

The blonde wouldn't listen and Sasuke was freaking out right about now. What could be happening to Naruto? Was the blonde… dying? At first it was like a nightmare, but now… now Sasuke didn't know whether or not the blonde would wake up. He didn't like the thought of Naruto never waking up again.

He didn't know why he felt that way, but that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was Naruto… and getting Naruto help.

Wait… Kiba! Kiba lived next door.

"Naruto, I'm going to go get Kiba, just… just hold on," the Uchiha told the blonde as he made his way towards the door of his apartment, running as fast as he could. He ran over to where the next door neighbor's door was and pounded on it. There was no rational thought in his mind now. He just needed someone to help Naruto.

A bleary-eyed Kiba answered the door.

"Uchiha-san?" he asked, confused, when he saw the panicky brunette in front of him.

"Kiba!" Sasuke let out. "You have to help me!"

Kiba's eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

"It's Naruto… I don't know what the hell is happening, but he's not waking up…" In a small voice, the boy added, "It's scary."

Kiba let his mouth twitch into a frown as his mind went over what this could mean. Deciding it would be better just to see the boy, he yelled back into the apartment that he was going to check on Naruto. The other occupant made an affirmative noise from somewhere (Sasuke couldn't see him.)

Kiba followed Sasuke to the bedroom that Naruto was in. The moment he stepped inside, Kiba felt his skin crawl. _Something_ definitely wasn't right. His senses were blaring that at him, showing him that there was something very wrong with Naruto at the moment. However, Kiba had no idea what it was.

Creeping closer to the blonde, who had resumed thrashing, Kiba closed his eyes and began to scan the boy. It was hard to say concentrated with Naruto making a racket like he was, but Kiba knew that he had to do so.

The Inuzuka snapped out of his scanning state when he heard something beside him. There were footfalls, purposeful as though they knew exactly what they were doing. Casting a glance over, Kiba saw none other than Sasuke. Looking into the boy's eyes, Kiba didn't know what to think.

There was nothing that showed Sasuke was aware of what he was doing. His eyes were half-shut, and bland. It was as though his spirit had left his body for a short amount of time, or was about to. Something along those lines, he figured, was what was happening right now.

Stepping back, on instinct if nothing else, Kiba watched what was going on in front of him – memorizing everything so that he would be able to report later and so that he would be able to research later.

Sasuke stepped closer to Naruto, reaching out with one hand. He placed the hand on the blonde's forehead. There was an aura around the Uchiha. Looking closer, Kiba saw light blue – the color of the spirit world – flames rising around Sasuke's figure. Sasuke's black eyes slid all the way shut and his body fell forward, the blue flame going into Naruto's form.

Kiba stared, wide-eyed at what had just happened. Had this… _human_ with no kind of training actually astral project into Naruto's subconscious. Not knowing what else to do, Kiba moved Sasuke's body so that it was next to Naruto's and more comfortable than in the position that he had fallen.

The Inuzuka could only wait for them to wake up now. This was out of his hands. Quickly, he summoned Akamaru to him.

"Get the Kages," he murmured to the pup. "At least those of them that will come. This is out of my hands."

Akamaru barked an affirmative and flew off. Hopefully he would be able to locate the Kages.

* * *

Sasuke looked around him. He definitely wasn't in the room where Naruto's body lay. In fact, he didn't _know_ where he was. He just knew where he _wasn't_. He stared around him. The landscape was dark, as though everything was swallowed in black. Splashed of red and gold made their way as the only colors onto the geology of this place. Sasuke looked around him. He definitely wasn't in the room where Naruto's body lay. In fact, he didn't where he was. He just knew where he . He stared around him. The landscape was dark, as though everything was swallowed in black. Splashed of red and gold made their way as the only colors onto the geology of this place. 

Sasuke looked down at himself. He was still as he was in the real world, for he had the nagging suspicion that he wasn't in the Real World any longer. He was in full color, despite the fact that everything else wasn't.

There was movement in the distance and a yell of pain. Rushing towards it, Sasuke only noticed it was Naruto and… that _monster_ from before when he was closer. Naruto looked exceptionally bloody. His clothes were ripped and torn. He did not resemble an Angel in anyway. He resembled a tortured soul.

The fox sneered at Naruto. **_"You know that no one will help you, Uzumaki,"_** the demon hissed at the blonde.

"That… that's not true!" Naruto yelled back. A paw swiped out, smashing into the blonde's face.

Sasuke felt rage flow through him. He didn't like seeing Naruto in pain and he would fight against the King of Hell to prevent it from happening.

**_"You're soul belongs to me,"_** the monster continued, completely unaware of the Uchiha's presence. **_"Nothing anyone does can help you… if they wanted to. You remember how those Angels –" _**The name was spat out with the deepest contempt. **_" – treated you back in Heaven. It's obvious that they wouldn't care if you disappeared or not."_**

This struck curiosity in Sasuke. What exactly had the Angels done? Was it something… evil? He didn't like to think about it, so he focused once again on the blonde. He seemed… disheartened. As though he was hurt.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. Both the blonde and the fox turned towards him. Kyubi narrowed his golden eyes when he saw the human there.

**_"Human!"_** he snarled at the boy. **_"How were you able to pass into this Realm? A mere human could not do such a thing!"_**

Sasuke looked confused, but ignored the gigantic fox.

"Naruto!" he called again. The blonde looked up at him. Sasuke held out his hand as he stood on the hill. He wasn't going to go to Naruto. If the blonde wanted to leave, he would have to come to Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't going to force his charge into anything.

"S- Sasuke?" he stuttered, as though not daring to believe his eyes.

Sasuke looked down at the blonde, his hand still outstretched. "Come on, dobe," he said kindly. "Let's go home."

"H- Home?" Naruto stammered. He took a step closer to Sasuke, a confused look on his face, as though Sasuke would snatch away his hand at the last second and leave the Uzumaki in a pit of despair.

"Yeah, home," Sasuke soothingly replied.

There was nothing but trust in Naruto's gaze as he walked closer to Sasuke.

**_"You impudent human!" _**Kyubi roared. He turned back to Naruto. **_"Don't listen to him, brat! He'll do nothing but leave you behind in the dust. He'll laugh at your failures!"_**

Naruto hesitated at these words. He looked up at Sasuke, tears leaking out of those cerulean blue orbs.

"W-would you?" he mumbled.

Sasuke shook his head. "The only one that would do that is the fox, Naruto."

"Truthfully?"

"Yeah. So, are you coming, dobe?"

"Don't call me that!" Naruto growled as he ran towards Sasuke. The minute his fingers brushed with Sasuke's, the scenery changed. Instead of the dark and dismal place it had been, it was now a field under a golden sun. Fluffy white clouds floated across the sky.

Naruto turned back to Sasuke. "Thank you!" he yelled and glomped the boy right there.

Not knowing that anything was wrong with his next move, Naruto lightly brushed his lips with Sasuke's.

The Uchiha blushed beet red when Naruto did that. His eyes widened and he pulled back from the embrace.

"W-what?" he asked, confused and bewildered.

Naruto looked confused. "Did I… did I do something wrong again?" he asked. Sasuke found the look on the blonde's face twisting something in his chest he found himself shaking his head.

"No, nothing wrong."

Naruto smiled again.

It was a moment later that the scenery faded and the blue flame of Sasuke's consciousness went back to his own body.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes opened blearily. He looked around him, not recognizing his surroundings. His head hurt terribly and he couldn't remember what had knocked him out. 

"Sasuke-kun?" a voice asked. Turning to look at the speaker, Sasuke found himself face to face with Tsunade, her fiery wings and all.

"What… what are you do here?" he wanted to know. He was groggy, that much was obvious.

"Sasuke, do you remember anything?" the blonde asked.

Sasuke shook his head. All he remembered was going to sleep the day before, after making sure Naruto was okay. Was there something else that happened in-between those times? After all, it was still morning, if his clock was right, so he should be waking up around now anyway.

Tsunade sighed. She wondered if she should tell him. Looking down at the boy, with his confused expression and all, she decided against it.

Uchiha Sasuke was a truly interesting individual. It would be fun watching him grow, alongside of Naruto.

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Oh yeah, before I forget – there is one thing I want to make clear so that you people aren't confused. If I mistake things from the normal view of Heaven and what have you, I'm sorry. I'm not Christian, I'm Pagan. I don't believe in Heaven and Hell, I believe in the Summerlands. However, since Heaven and Hell is the concept known by mostly everyone, I decided to use it. No one has bothered me about being religious yet, but I don't want anyone to do so in the future either. _

_If anyone is confused about this chapter. I'm really sorry. But don't worry – I'm confused too. I like some parts and I dislike some parts. I don't like how I portrayed Kyubi. This is the FIRST fic I've made Kyubi evil in, because I love Kyubi. It makes me sad that he's evil in this fic. It really does, but oh well. I might as well keep him as such. Since I feel like it, I'll have review responses for chapter two. _

_KageKitsune16: Thanks for the review. What do you mean Kiba and Shikamaru? I've yet to decide if I'm implying anything there or not… I don't know yet. Kiba always seemed more into Shino to me anyway. _

_Yaoilover S: Of course I know Gackt! Who doesn't? He's like… the sex god of my dreams… Thanks for the picture. P I loved it. _

_Toki Mirage: Perhaps… but I have yet to work out the kinks of the storyline. I don't know what role most of the characters are playing. With the except of the Kages (and I still don't have a Raikage dammit) and Naruto and Sasuke, everyone else is on either side of the battle. Oh wait, and Kyubi. I know where Kyubi stands. _

_Kin Uchiha: Ssssh! Don't tell Sasuke-kun. He's still in denial, I think._

_Ghostninja85: Yay! You're reading this fic to! I love you… I always see you on my review lists, which makes me love you very very much. I'm glad you like this fic so far._

_Maliciously Creative: Wow… I'm being ordered around by a butt-ugly Itachi plushie. ((blinks)) Does anyone else find this as disturbing as I don't? Seriously, I love it! Thank Sasuke for his handiwork. ((puts Butt-Ugly Itachi Plushy next to Morning Itachi plushy and Salon Itachi Plushy)) Thanks for the gift. And here's your update!_

_Momochi__ Zabuza II: I don't know where this is leading yet, but I will take in your ideas for jealousy. You're right. Romance cannot exist without jealousy. _

_Elly__ Stormrage: Yes, but I'm not sure as what yet. I hope to bring in the entire cast during one part or another… but I don't know if I'll be able to. _

_Tyranimo__I'm "the great Kyuubi-kun" now. Wow, it makes me feel so warm and fluffy and special and fuzzy and all of that. ((blushes)) thank you for the compliment. My ego just increased tremendously. _

_Jenniyah__: Definitely more demons… more demons are fun. Um… I'll explain why Gaara is after Naruto once I figure out why myself._

_Tanki__ Rania: Well, here's what happens next. Thanks for saying my plot's original. I was worried that it wasn't._

_Aragornthia__: Thanks! I don't mind encouragement. It keeps me going when I don't feel like going, so lay on the encouragement. And thanks for the compliment to my poetry. I used to be shy about my poems, but IBB is helping me get over that shyness._

_YumGaara can just disappear like that without us noticing. I don't really know but that's the BS answer I'll give until I figure out a real answer. _

_Anukis__-san: Yeah I have, actually. The Grudge, despite the fact that most of the people I know disliked it, I actually found to be pretty good. Why do you ask?_

_Iceheart19: Yeah, I always use "Arashi" when referring to Yondaime. I don't know why, its just something I do. Maybe if I figure it out, I'll tell you._

_Yaoi__-Rules: Here's the next segment for the near future. I think that my writing is getting strange in this fic… but I'm not completely sure._

_Animeperfect__: most people loved the dressing part. It was one of my favorite scenes. I like make Naruto rely on Sasuke. Makes for better yumminess later on._

_((Smile Emoticon)): Ahh well, I'll reveal the answers to those in good time. The Gaara one when I figure it out and the seal one when the time is right. I actually know what's happening with the seal but I don't want to ruin the scene for whenever it comes up. _

_SweetSirene1134: Yeah, I got my original idea from Wish, but I decided to branch off from that to form whatever the hell I have here. _

_Me: Heavenly stuff… that's a good phrase for it. I'm glad you liked it._

_AmethystRose__: Actually, the CLAMP one was shonen ai. What happened is that during the translating process, both Hisui and Kohaku got a gender change. Kinda sucks, but oh well. I blame the translators. The original has both Kohaku and Hisui as males, because both are male names. The only reason Hisui is referred to as Madam is because of the fact that he had an obsession with tea at the most random moments. Yeah, that's a bit of information I picked up somewhere along the way. It makes sense those. Kohaku and Hisui were REALLY flat-chested. _

_ChibiNekoSakura__: Yeah, Naru-chan losted his wings. But that's okay, because I plan on yumminess… lots and lots of yumminess._

_TenshiKaitou__: nani? What strange comment? I'm confused._

_Yuen-chan: tell me what you think. It's not a nevermind, I won't get mad. I want to know what you really think. _

_Tracy-kin: Wow, if glomping reminds you of Chii from Chobits, then I have a weird CLAMP related story going on here, neh? My friend found the Mars concert somewhere or another and she let me borrow it. She wants me to return it… but I DON'T WANNA ((sobs))_

_Sonic16: Here's ASAP for you… its not that long, considering I was writing IBB before this. _

_Aurora90: Thank you for the comment. I hope you stay with this fic. I dunno though… I might have driven people away with this chapter. Who knows?_


	4. Complications

_Hello, minna-san. Because FFN has been done lately, I decided to make updates for a lot of my fics, so that once it comes back up, I'll have lots of shit ready for the masses to read. Here's chapter four for Wish Upon a Lost Wing. I hope all of you enjoy it! _

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
****Chapter Four: Complications**

* * *

_When I ran, I didn't feel like a runaway  
__When I escaped, I didn't fell like I got away  
__There's more to living than only surviving  
__Maybe I'm not there but I'm still trying_

- _Offspring, Staring at the Sun_

* * *

Naruto was not happy when he woke up, only to find that his wings had been clipped. He felt a huge pain in his stomach only moments after realizing the first fact. Squeezing his eyes shut, the blonde gripped his stomach. Kyuubi was testing Naruto's magick again.

The blue-eyed boy sighed after feeling the demon calm down. He didn't have enough training in order to completely hold the fox at bay. Shaking the grogginess he still felt from sleep, off, Naruto sat up. Staring around him, the Uzumaki realized that he didn't recognize the place. But he didn't _feel_ as though he was in any type of danger. On the contrary, Naruto felt rather safe and warm.

Naruto finally got out of the orange-covered bed. The floor was icy-cold and something told Naruto that it was early morning. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, he just knew he wasn't in Heaven anymore.

"Oy! Dobe!" someone yelled through the door. Naruto stared at where he heard the voice calling from. "Get up and get dressed, food is in the kitchen. And hurry up, we have to leave in half an hour."

Naruto just nodded, not even realizing that Sasuke couldn't see him. The blonde looked around the room, finally spotting the dresser. He dug through it for a clean pair of boxers, a clean t-shirt, and some pants.

Luckily, the Angel vaguely remembered Sasuke teaching him the right way to wear human clothing. He didn't make any mistakes. Five minutes later, the blonde bounced out of the room.

He found Sasuke seated at the kitchen table, eating what appeared to be a waffle.

"This came for you," Sasuke informed him without a greeting. "It's from Tsunade." He held out a red envelope. Naruto took it. Opening the scarlet paper, he found a letter stuffed inside.

_To Naru-chan_

_Due to the fact that Sarutobi wanted for you to experience what it means to be almost completely human, Uchiha Sasuke will be looking out for you. You will be with him in all of his classes, as well as share his apartment. Don't be too much trouble on him. Be nice. Also, Kakashi-kun is going to visit you as soon as he is done with his current mission. He said he should be there within the next week, so keep an eye out for him. And, as you know, don't let him near human females for too long. Since you are human now, feel free to ear and all kinds of food. In fact, since you are human, you need to eat. Sasuke-kun is aware of this. If you don't eat, you will die. Before you begin to curse Sarutobi-sama and us Kages, think of this event as the first trial on your road to take my place as Hokage. Good luck with this, Naruto, we're all rooting for you to succeed. Oh, and before I forget – stay away from Gaara. Unlike your angelic body, this human form won't be able to withstand the attacks from that boy. I don't even think Kyuubi would be of much help in this body. I'll be dropping by to check on you whenever I find the time. _

_Tsunade. _

Naruto stared at the note, completely astounded by how much Tsunade loved to ramble. If the Hokage could hear his thoughts, she probably would have hit him. Luckily for the younger Angel, Tsunade had no such mind-reading powers.

Sasuke didn't say anything when Naruto began to fold up the letter and put it back in the envelope. The only indication the Uchiha gave that he was paying attention to Naruto was the slight shift of his head and pushing a plate with waffles on it in the boy's general direct5ions.

Naruto sat down, not knowing what to do. This was the first time he had ever eaten anything in his long life. He stared at the waffles blankly. They seemed to stare back in that only-a-waffle-can-stare-this-way kind of way. Sasuke looked at him.

"You use a fork, dobe," he growled out. The Uchiha was definitely _not_ a morning person.

"Fork?" Naruto asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"The spiky silver thing next to your plate."

Naruto looked down at the object. He picked it up and stabbed the food on the plate.

A moment later, he asked, "Is something supposed to happen?"

Sasuke sighed and showed Naruto how to cut and eat the waffle in front of him. Sasuke never thought he would be good with children and yet, here he was, teaching a 400 year old baby.

Uchiha Sasuke was never quite known for his patience, nor was his tolerance very high.

Which would not be a good thing for Naruto when his elbow accidentally slammed onto the edge of the plate and flung what waffles were left on the floor.

Sasuke stared at the syrup covered white floor, feeling his eye twitch at the sight. Sasuke was not a clean freak by far but sticky liquid on his kitchen floor was something he hated beyond a lot of other things.

"Dobe!" Sasuke screamed. Naruto jumped back as if he had been scalded by Sasuke's voice. "Be more careful with your food! I don't want to have to spend my afternoons between classes cleaning up after you!" He glowered at the smaller boy, making him seem taller and more menacing than he actually was. "If you don't learn how to clean up after yourself, then I don't care if this _is_ a mission from some God – I'm Atheist, dammit! I don't care about this kind of shit – but you'd be out on the streets!"

Naruto stared at Sasuke, eyes watering. It was obvious that whatever that strange dream was – when Sasuke had saved him from the Kyuubi – had just been a dream. Sasuke didn't care about Naruto. He didn't want the blonde here.

Naruto tried to smile, but his smile faltered before dying off completely. He saw _that look_ in Sasuke's eyes and the memories were overtaking him.

He stood up and stumbled past Sasuke, almost falling over. The blonde righted himself as Sasuke just stared at him. The door slammed open and was left that way as the Angel jetted out of the apartment.

Sauske just stared after his charge. Not five minutes after Naruto left, Sasuke's new neighbors – Kiba and who Sasuke guessed was Shikamaru – arrived.

"We thought we'd go to class we you," Kiba greeted with a grin. "By the way, where's Naruto?"

Shikamaru's sharp black eyes surveyed the room in seconds.

"Naruto's not here,"? Sasuke said, keeping his face stoic and expressionless. "He left."

"And you _let _him?" Kiba snarled, grabbing Sasuke's shirt collar. The Uchiha didn't looked fazed in the least by the Angel's predatory attack.

"He would've left whether I tried to stop him or not."

Kiba's eyes narrowed, his canines lengthening slightly.

"Oy, Inuzuka!" Shikamaru snapped. "Put the human down." He sighed, as though he had a headache. "This is too bothersome.

Kiba reluctantly obeyed Shikamaru's words. It wasn't as if he wanted to, but Shikamaru was the leader of this, as he was only a low-level Scout. Therefore, the Inuzuka had to listen to what his teammate said.

Shikamaru's sharp, yet lazy gaze, settled on Sasuke. "You do realize that you are going to help us find him."

"But… class…" Sasuke began.

"Doesn't matter," Shikamaru barked.

Kiba, after here Shikamaru snap, decided it was best to stay quiet. It wasn't often that Shikmaru got angry and he didn't want that rage to turn on him. He would like to stay alive, thank you very much!

"What do you mean 'doesn't matter'!" Sasuke growled, fists clenching. "Unlike you, I _need_ to go to class in order to get a job. You just have to go to watch out for that stupid idiot! So you can find him on your own!"

Shikamaru stared at Sasuke for a moment. "Unlike you, eh?" he said. A sad smile appeared on his lips. "That's right, we're immortal – you are not. Everything changes." He paused, a sad look on his face before staring at Sasuke again with anger. "However, what's past is past. Perhaps Tsunade forgot to tell you exactly _what_ that boy has inside of him."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke wanted to know. This was new to him. He still hadn't figured what that boy had wrong with him."

"Sit, it's a long story." Shikamaru took a seat on one side of the couch while Sasuke sat on the other. Kiba just threw himself on the rug, curling up until he was comfortable.

"Do you know exactly what Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are?" he asked.

"One's good, one's evil, one's neutral," Sasuke said.

"Wrong," Shikamaru told him. "The only difference between the three is the dominant races of the realms. They are each on a different dimension, and one race can enter the territory of another easily, if they know how."

Sasuke consumed this information, holding his tongue, for he was curious as to what would come next.

"Four hundred years ago… yes, about that much. Hell has always had a dictatorship. One Demon rules the whole of Hell. Four hundred years ago, that Demon was known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He grew bored with Hell, having conquered everything, and so he went to Heaven – trying to conquer our realm. There was a huge war that almost destroyed both realms. In the end, our Hokage at the time, Arashi, realized that the only way to win the war was to seal the Demon King, Kyuubi no Kitsune. So he chose the only babe that he could trust – his own son."

Sasuke smirked. "It's a lovely story, Nara-san, but I fail to see the point that you're leading up to," he drawled.

Shikamaru sighed. "That boy – Arashi's son, is Uzumaki Naruto. He's the only Angel to ever have a Demon within him – an actual Demon, not a metaphoric one."

Sasuke gasped upon hearing this, as did Kiba. Since Kiba hadn't had time to go back to Heaven ever since being promoted, he still didn't know several of the things that Scouts were supposed to know.

There was complete silence in the apartment after Shikamaru spoke. All those present were lost in their own thoughts concerning one blonde Angel.

"Do you now see why we need to find Naruto as soon as possible?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke, staring straight into the void-like eyes of the Uchiha.

Slowly, Sasuke nodded.

"Another note…" Shikamaru added while standing up. "The seal that keeps the Demon King where he is weakens when Naruto is in states of emotional unrest. This is one of the reasons that he was forbidden to come to Earth several times."

"Why is he here now?" Sasuke snapped.

"Reasons. It's too bothersome to go into them now."

Kiba rolled his eyes, hearing Shikamaru's favorite line. This had to be the most he had ever heard the Angel speak in his life. It was funny, in a strange ironic way.

"We should split up," the Nara went on. "Sasuke can search the campus, I'll search the city and Kiba will stay here in case Naruto comes back."

"What?" Kiba growled. "Why me?"

Shikamaru just stared at him and the Inuzuka pouted. "Fine," he grumbled.

The other two soon left, both heading off in their separate ways.

Sasuke walked through the campus, searching for the Angel. After hearing of the boy's past, he found a soft spot in him for the blonde. He didn't know why this was so, but it was there. Sighing, he shook his head, trying to focus on the task at hand.

_Naruto, I will find you_, he promised the Angel in his head.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Here's Chapter four. I zoned out again, and made Shikamaru talk a lot. I'm not sure if that was a good thing. It seems uncharacteristic of him, but my hands did the typing and the characters did it. My mind was blank. I can't remember typing it all that well. Anyways, I'll respond to reviews because I've got nothing better to do at the moment. _

_Maliciously Creative: No problem doing the Itachi ficcie. Unfortunately, when you reviewed this fic, it ends with "now for the review" which confuses me. Was there supposed to be more? It seems as though there is, but moo, whatever. _

_Ghostninja85: What exactly is Uchiha Sasuke? Beats me. For right now, I categorize him as 'asshole' but that's just me. I'll try and brainstorm his abilities and find a plausible reason for how he came to be that way – but I'm not sure of the answer right now. Thanks for the reassurance of the religion stuff. I think this chapter made it even less religious, but whatever. I don't know. _

_(Insert smiley face here): Sorry, it won't let me actually do the smiley face anymore, so yeah… this is now your title when I do my review replies. Naruto bonded to Sasuke? Hmm… that's not a half-bad idea. Who knows, though? I'm not entirely sure as to what Sasuke is myself, nor am I quite sure 'who' either. Here's the next chapter. _

_Tracy-kin: Much better speech pattern, but he's about as mature as Chii was at the beginning. I might of accidentally based a bit of Naruto in this fic off Chii. Man, the CLAMP things that go on in this fic. Moo. I think Kyuu-chan does care for Naruto… but its in a twisted demonic way that only twisted demonic people are able to truly understand and appreciate. I'm not suggesting that you and I are twisted and demonic, I just thought it sounded cool. _

_Neko nidhi: Perhaps. I haven't really seen what I'm going to do with this fic. Itachi may have a bigger part or he may not. I really have no bloody idea what's going to happen. _

_Anukis-san: Something reminded you of the Grudge? Moo, if you ever remember what it was, please tell me. I would like to know. I know that 'rime' is a way to say 'rhyme' but when one says 'rime' people usually think of Samual L. Coolidge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." (Rime of the Ancient Mariner, if you ever read it, can be sung to the tune of Giligan's __Island__. It's scary, but true.)_

_Momochi Zabuza: Oh, I've taken your suggestion into my book of ideas and believe me, if I was going to make ANYONE go after Naruto… its probably going to be Gaara or Neji, or perhaps even Haku. Who knows? Not me… yet… mwa _

_Yum: Thanks for the review. Here's the update. Wheee_

_Jessey: Mr. Fox is not evil, he's just twisted. I love Mr. Fox though. Kyuubi is definitely my favorite Naruto character. Yes, hopefully this will be interesting. Not only is Naruto in college – but Naruto the Biggest Idiot in Three Realms is going to a prestigious college. I'm willing to bet that at least one teacher will try to expel him. But who knows?_

_Kurisutaru39: Whee, I'm loved. I love being loved. It makes me feel as though I'm worth something. As you can see, my ego sucks. You shall be waiting? Please don't be hiding in the backseat of my car… ((shudders and hides)) Joking, here's the next chapter._

_AnimePerfect: Here's the update. Thanks for the review. I hate it when people are mean to Naruto, but in all of my fics – Sasuke is always there to pick up the pieces of the boy's heart. And then the fluffiness and lemons come. MWA. _

_TrigunChic: Squee, I'm glad you liked my fic. Actually, the glomping idea, I got from a NaruSasu doujinshi called Yumemi ga __Oka__. If you want to read it, I'd be more than happy to link you to the site where I found it. If you want to just see the panel of Naruto glomping Sasuke, I'd be more the happy to just send you that page. Email me if your interested. _

_Sonic16: Ain't it cute? I love messing with people's heads, and then changing the mood of the fic in the next chapter. MWA HAA HAA_

_KageKitsune16: Yes, a kiss already! But it was an innocent one. Like when a little kid kisses another little kid cuz they can. _

_Iceheart19: They will eventually get to school, but this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up when I wrote this chapter._

_Tyranimo: Everything's doing good. Thanks for asking. I'm glad this fic fits right into what you like, by combining two genres… kinda. This fic has college, not high school, but it's the same difference. _

_Kanemoshi: I stopped there so that I could make this chapter all that much better!_

_ChibiNekoSakura: Me? Or the Kyuubi in this fic? I'm confused_

_Hatake Kiyone: I always saw in the memories how the group of troublemakers was always Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji and Naruto. It confused me how Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji no longer were friends with Naruto. That's why I decided to make Shikamaru and Kiba the main angels. I don't know what to do for Chouji yet. I'm thinking he might be human. _

_Heero2001: All my stories will be updated in due time. That is, whenever I get around to it. Yeah, I'm lazy… but oh well!_

_Kin Uchiha: Jeez… of course opposites attract, and yes Sasuke is dense and overprotective. Hopefully I'll find reason for these two to be together soon. _

_Tariki Rania: Its very original? Squee! Thank you. Eventually lurve… but for now, nope_

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed. If I forgot to reply to your review, I'm very very sorry. See you all in the next chapter!_

_Bye_


	5. Photograph the Memories

_Here's Chapter Five for your viewing and reading pleasure. I know that I've made Orochimaru, once again, to be an old pervert. But that's okay – he's Orochimaru. It's expected. After all… once a pervert… always a pervert. At least Kakashi and Jiraiya are open about it – unlike Orochimaru and Ebisu. Bastards. It's not porn, its art!_

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
****Chapter Five: Photograph the Memories**

* * *

_"There is only one thing I wish for pray for. I pray that even when 'today' ends, may tomorrow be the same as today so that while you are here, you will always be mine."_

- _Sumomo__ Yumeka, Chou Ni Naru_

_

* * *

_Naruto fell down, scraping his hand on the rough bark of the tree he landed on. He didn't know why he was so upset by all of this. He had only known Sasuke for about three days. It wasn't like they were friends or anything like that. They barely knew each other! 

Suddenly, the blonde sensed another's presence near him. He turned swiftly, bracing himself on the wide trunk of the tree. The man in front of him was an evil-looking man that Naruto was familiar with. He had never liked the Raikage, though. The man was too… snake-like for the boy's liking.

"Oh, look, Naruto-chan, you've bloodied your hand," the pale man said. His long ebony hair shifted slightly in the wind. Naruto always wondered how Sarutobi-sama was able to trust this man, for Naruto didn't feel safe around the Raikage as he did around the other Kages. In fact, the blonde could say that it was the truth that he felt safe around _Kyuubi_ rather than this man.

"Orochimaru-sama," Naruto greeted, bowing his head slightly. He had always shown the minimal amount of respect for the man throughout the years. Orochimaru scared him. There was no other way to phrase it.

"Still as you always were, Naruto-chan," Orochimaru murmured. He walked over to the blonde, a sinister smile on his face. "Let me see you hand, Naruto."

Reluctantly, Naruto offered his wounded hand towards the man. He didn't want to but he couldn't ignore a direct order from an Angel of a higher class than he was.

Orochimaru looked at the scrape with a small smirk. Naruto had to use all of his self-discipline in order to stay still and not yank his hand back, fleeing in the other direction.

"It should be all right, Naruto-chan," the pallid man said.

Naruto nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He didn't like to speak around Orochimaru. The man took everything he said as an innuendo for something else. So long ago, he had given up saying anything around the Raikage. It was easier this way – this way, there were no misunderstandings.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side. "As much as I would love to continue our conversation, Naruto-chan," he said. "I am being called back to Heaven. I will see you soon, hopefully."

Again, Naruto only nodded. There was nothing else he really could do. It was only a moment before Orochimaru had disappeared, taking off to the portals that were hidden all over.

Naruto wasn't sure whether he should return to Sasuke's or not – he didn't belong in the world, but he couldn't go home. He wasn't like the other Angels who were on Earth. He was human now.

He shook, hugging himself. It was cold. He didn't know what being cold was like – but now he wasn't sure if he would ever be warm again. He didn't know what he was going to do. It didn't help that the sun was setting on the horizon. Nobody had found him since Orochimaru had been here.

He was glad for that, though it made him feel more lonely than ever.

There were footsteps little ways off. Naruto had put his collar around his head a while ago to ward off the cold. He didn't want his ears to fall off – as they felt like they were doing.

"Dobe," a voice said. Naruto looked up, his blue eyes meeting the black eyes that were there, staring down at him.

"S-S-Sasuke," he stuttered. "W-What are you doing here? Y-You said t-that you d-didn't care about m-me staying w-with you."

Sasuke shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I was angry… I was uptight anyway," he murmured to the boy, taking off his jacket and wrapped it around the nearly-frozen blonde. "Come on, let's go home."

Naruto felt a sudden déjà vu hit him and he shook his head. "N-no," he whispered. He knew that this was unreal. It had to be. Sasuke wouldn't be this nice.

Sasuke reached over and grabbed Naruto's wrist, pulling the boy to his feet. "Shut up and come on, idiot!" he growled out. Naruto struggled against the grip but he wasn't really any competition for the other boy. The blonde froze when Sasuke slapped him. It was the first time anyone had hit him… well, it wasn't… but that's not the point. It was the first time that anyone hit him in this body.

"Come on, Kyuubi!" the boy growled.

"Kyuu…bi?" Naruto let out. His eyes widened as he realized that this person actually _wasn't_ Sasuke. He increased his struggles, trying to get free. He had to get free. If he didn't, then who knew what this imposter would do.

Suddenly, a small rock smashed into the fake's head. "What are you doing running around looking like me, you freak?" the real Uchiha Sasuke snarled, eyes narrowed and flashing with anger.

The other Sasuke merely smirked. "I need this boy," he said, wrapping an arm around Naruto's neck. Naruto felt tears starting to swell in his eyes. He hated himself whenever he got into trouble because he wasn't strong enough. He continued to struggle, flapping his free arm on his holder's stomach whenever he could. It wasn't long before both of his wrists had been grabbed by the fake Sasuke's free hand.

Naruto felt completely powerless and helpless. He hated feeling like this. He didn't want the real Sasuke to get hurt because of him, but there wasn't much he could do if Sasuke did.

_All I am is a screw-up_, he thought to himself, eyes cast down as his struggles stopped. The fake Sasuke grinned when he noticed this. Half the battle was already won if he didn't have to worry about his captive.

_Master will be pleased with me_, he thought to himself as he stared at Sasuke.

The real Sasuke didn't know what to do without it risking Naruto's life. He didn't want to see the blonde get hurt. He didn't want to see any harm – of mental, emotional or physical – befall the boy.

His mind was going over what he could do and the options were not great.

"Let go of Naruto," Sasuke growled.

"No," the other said.

"Then at least show me your real face. It's tiring looking at me."

A puff of smoke later and a tall man with jagged silver hair was looking down at Sasuke. His lips were curled into a smirk. From his shoulders protruded large leathery wings that were in the shape of a dragon's or a bat's. Claws attached themselves to the crook of the wing, as it folded in half.

Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized the man. "M-Mizuki!" he gasped. Mizuki's arm tightened on the boy's windpipe, making him choke.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, I see that you remember me," he told the blonde.

"Where do you know Naruto from?" Sasuke asked Mizuki.

"I was once one of his caretakers when he was but a babe. That was during the century that Hell had stolen him, of course," Mizuki grinned. He saw the look of surprise that crossed Sasuke's face when he heard of Naruto's trip to Hell.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, Naruto is awaited once more in Hell," Mizuki sneered. Naruto felt the tears cascading down his cheeks. He hadn't wanted Sasuke to know of his trip to Hell – which had taken up a fourth of his life. He had been kidnapped and kept in a locked cell for that entire century. The only reason he was able to get out of there was because of a human.

He was jarred out of his thoughts when he saw Sasuke's eyes narrow even further and he came rushing towards them.

"Naruto isn't going anywhere!" he screamed as he shot out his fist. Mizuki easily dodged it, even while keeping Naruto in his hands. Sasuke didn't stop there. He kicked out and punched more, always carefully not to get Naruto. Naruto was scared. He didn't put it past Mizuki to use him as a shield, although the silver-haired demon had yet to do that.

Suddenly Mizuki roughly pushed Naruto aside. The blonde hit the ground, feeling a fire race through his system as his back came in contact with a tree. He scraped his back pretty bloody as he slid down, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him.

The two combatants were moving too fast for the eye to see. Naruto only saw when they separated, everything else was a blur.

But he did see something really strange.

Mizuki wasn't able to defeat Sasuke easily. Sasuke was a tough opponent to a _Demon_. That scared Naruto a little. Was Sasuke even fully human?

A blue fire emitted from Sasuke, surrounding him. His eyes turned the color of the ethereal fire, staring at Mizuki with a harsh rage to them. Naruto gaped in wonder. What was happening – he had never seen something like this happen before.

Sasuke flew in on the attack, the fire burning Mizuki whenever he touched the silver-haired man. Sasuke seemed to realize this as he grabbed Mizuki's neck and the fire transferred, surrounding Mizuki and slowly melting the demon away until he was nothing but a few ashes, that scattered as the moon rose above them.

However, even as the blue fire receded into the boy, Sasuke knew that the fight had not come without injuries. Already, he felt the sprain in his ankle that he had gotten during the fight because of a mistake in his footwork trying to get him off his feet. His shoulder was bleeding and he gripped it as though it were a lifeline with his other hand.

Bruises were spotted across his body, but that was to be expected. Sasuke knew that the wounds were not bad. He still didn't know where his opponent had gone. He had blacked out in the middle of the fight and when he awoke, Mizuki was gone.

The Uchiha looked around wildly, trying to spot Naruto. He saw the blonde staring at him in what seemed to be complete and utter astonishment. Slowly, he limped over to Naruto.

He reached the blonde within a few minutes. Falling to his knees he wrapped his arms around Naruto before the boy could even react.

"Thank God you're safe," he whispered, gripping Naruto close to him. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't okay."

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto stammered. "A-Are you all right?"

Sasuke just smiled into Naruto's shoulder. "Yeah… I'm all right," he whispered, sending shivers down Naruto's spine.

"Come on, Sasuke… we gotta go back to the apartment," Naruto murmured, hefting the boy up with what little strength he could muster being as cold as he was. "You're bleeding pretty bad."

Sasuke nodded, understanding why he had to go. He didn't know how he managed to stay conscious throughout the entire walk home. All he knew was that the moment he had stepped through the door to his bedroom with Naruto half-dragging him there, he had fallen onto the bed and completely blacked out.

Naruto smiled kindly when he saw the Uchiha completely tired. He felt warm and fuzzy on the inside and his chest was beating rapidly. He didn't know why this was happening, but he didn't care.

It felt right and that was all that mattered, right?

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Hi minna, here's chapter five for you. I wrote it really late at night and didn't want to go to sleep before I finished writing this, so I didn't. Instead, I stayed up and wrote this fic. I had to go Xmas shopping today. It sucked big time. Moo… but I'm gonna get the Rocky Horror Picture Show for Xmas! YAY! I've always wanted that DVD! SQUEE! ((does a happy dance))_

_I would reply to reviews, but I'm about to fall over from exhaustion. Sorry. I'll get to them later. Thanks for reviewing, I read and save every last one of them – including the flames. After all, if I say the flames, I can roast marshmallows over them anyway. _

_Oh yeah. This fic has hit 100 reviews. So I'm going to make a prize yaoi fic on AFF and TONFA. Now, I need you all to vote on the pairing. _

_1. ItaNaru_  
2. _SasuNaru_  
3. _GaarNaru_  
4. _SasuNeji_  
5. _NejiNaru_  
6. _SasuGaar_  
7. _ItaSasu_

_And yeah… that's all… just write the pairing that you want and I'll notify everyone which pairing wins by the time I get the next chapter out (which will hopefully be by Christmas, but I make no promises) Anyways, vote and I'll get to it. Thanks for all the reviews. _


	6. Break Me Down

_Here's Chapter Six of Wish Upon a Lost Wing. I'm happy, because I only need one more book to complete the series of Wish, which has some parts of it in here. Yeah, CLAMP are geniuses, and that's all I have to say about that. I want to thank every last one of you who have reviewed. Your reviews keep me going._

_Now, what you've all been waiting for (cough)whatever(cough) the results to the vote on a one-shot yaoi fic! The votes stand as followed at 6:12pm on Wednesday 29 December 2004. Any votes coming after this time will be presented as null and void. Thank you all for participating, here's what we have:_

_ItaNaru:6  
__SasuNaru:12  
__GaarNaru:2  
__SasuNeji:2  
__NejiNaru:2  
__SasuGaar:0  
__ItaSasu:1_

_So it looks like I'll be doing a SasuNaru one-shot once I get my ass around to it. Thanks everyone, I hope you enjoy it when it comes out. As for right now, however, on with the fic!_

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
****Chapter Six: Break Me Down**

* * *

"Don't let go of the dream. Believe! Never hesitate! No matter what the situation, fight instead of running away! If you believe then your dreams will come true without fail. If you don't give up, your dreams will come true." 

- Daisuke Higuchi, _author of Whistle!_

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto had made it back, both limping slightly, to the dorm room where Kiba and Shikamaru were waiting. 

"What the hell happened to you two?" were Kiba's first words.

Naruto looked down, ashamed. Sasuke sighed. "Met a demon," was all he could say before Shikamaru helped Naruto carry his weight.

"Shut up for now," the Nara boy told him. "I need to go over your injuries."

Sasuke looked through his hazy vision up at Shikamaru. "What about Naruto's?"

"He's an Angel – we heal easily."

"Oh."

Shikamaru and Naruto helped Sasuke onto his bed. Then Shikamaru told Naruto to leave while he worked on Sasuke's wounds.

Naruto made his way out into the living area of the apartment-like dorm room. Kiba was sprawled on top of a couch, staring at the blonde.

"What?" Naruto asked, eyes narrowing. He hated inquisitions and he didn't want to remember what had happened a mere half an hour before.

"Demon?" was all Kiba said.

Naruto looked away. "The Demon is dead now, so it doesn't matter," he growled softly.

"Who was it?" Kiba asked, not letting Naruto off in his inquisition.

"No one, just a Demon," Naruto lied. The problem was, the blonde was a horrible liar. Kiba knew that it wasn't just a Demon, and he was determined to find out who had attacked Naruto and Sasuke.

"Who the fuck was it, Naruto?" he asked.

"Goddammit, Kiba!" the blonde yelled. "I said it was no one and that means it was no one!"

Kiba shook his head. "We're just trying to look out for you, Naruto. So if you don't trust us, then there's not much we can do. I'm only asking this because I care."

Naruto looked at him, a stoic mask in place on the boy's face. "Kiba, I would tell you who it was – but… I can't."

Naruto turned his back to Kiba before his mask could slip off. He leaned on the table nearby, trying to recover himself. Seeing Mizuki… after all this time, had not boded well with the blonde.

It meant that _they_ could be after him again – that _they_ could be coming to get him. He didn't want to put anyone in danger. He could remember his visit to Hell very well. It wasn't something that one would forget – a place like Hell, that is. After all, the stories about the fiery pits of despair were not just stories. They were real.

Closing his eyes tightly, Naruto tried to gain control over himself once again. It was so hard, of course, the fact that he didn't want to remember and yet his mind was disagreeing.

Flashes of that time came to him, entering his mind and showing him the tortures that he had had to undergo. And for what? A goddamn demon leader that was stuck in his stomach!

Naruto breathed deeply, once again trying to quell all the emotions inside of him. He didn't like to blame anyone for anything, despite his obnoxious nature that sometimes showed itself to the outside world.

Kiba was uncharacteristically silent. Naruto had noticed this, but he was too busy trying to work everything out in his head in order to really care about Kiba's strange silence.

Why had Mizuki shown up? Why now? Naruto was just beginning to get used to Earth and a face from his past – from Hell had come and screwed all of that up. He sank to the floor, not caring that anyone else was in the room and felt tears cascading down his cheeks. He didn't want to hang on – he didn't want all of this to happen.

He wanted to go home – back to his tiny place in Heaven where nobody could bother him. But Sarutobi had forbid him from coming back to Heaven for the time being and so he couldn't go home. That meant that he would have to make a new home for himself.

Could he make that home here? With Sasuke, perhaps? Was such a thing even possible?

Would Sasuke want him to stay around even after all of the trouble that Naruto had caused?

_"Naruto isn't going anywhere!"_

_"Thank God you're safe." _

_"I don't know what I'd do if you weren't okay."_

Sasuke's words echoed around Naruto's brain but he didn't want to hear them. Could it all be fake? Was Sasuke going to betray him like the Angels had? Or at least some of them had…

Naruto didn't think he could stand another betrayal like that one. It would be too much for him. He would give up to Kyuubi if such a thing happened.

A driving pain in his stomach caused the blonde to gasp aloud in pain.

_No, I'm not giving up!_ Naruto thought to himself. He couldn't give up. Not when the Kages were depending on him to keep the Demon in check.

* * *

Back in Sasuke's room, Shikamaru had just finished dressing the boy's scrapes and cuts and such. He sat back in his chair and stared at Sasuke, wondering if the brunette was going to wake up anytime soon. 

Just as he was thinking this, Sasuke groaned. Shikamaru smirked softly before giving the boy a blank look again. Sasuke wasn't human – but Shikamaru still couldn't figure out _exactly_ what he was.

The Nara boy didn't feel a Demonic aura from around the boy, but nor could he feel an Angelic one. This boy wasn't human – but Shikamaru, who was a genius according to his peers, couldn't even _guess_ at his origins.

Sighing to himself, Shikamaru shook his head.

"What's that look for?" Sasuke growled, more from the pain than anger.

Shikamaru shrugged. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like shit, now why were staring at me?"

"I'm supposed to watch you when you're injured to make sure that you don't run off," Shikamaru explained, his tone and expression bored.

Sasuke just stared at him in disbelief.

"Bah, too troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Why do you always say that?" Sasuke wanted to know.

Shikamaru hmphed. "Because it _is_ too troublesome," was his reply.

Sasuke didn't think about asking Shikamaru that question again.

"How's Naruto?" he asked.

Shikamaru just shrugged.

Sasuke sighed. He wondered if Shikamaru would ever learn to do something more than shrug or be tired. However, what most Angels did was not Sasuke's business, it was what Naruto did that was his business. He got up, ignoring the pain in his muscles from the movement. Shikamaru said nothing.

"You and dog-boy go back to your own apartment," Sasuke told Shikamaru. "I need to speak with Naruto."

"Fine," Shikamaru replied. He got up and walked out of the room, grabbing and dragging Kiba along with him.

Naruto didn't see them go or anything. He stayed in his position, even when he heard Sasuke limp out of the bedroom. Sasuke's steps were heavy, and much louder than Kiba's or Shikamaru's so they were easier to trace.

The blonde looked up, his sea-blue eyes clashing with the brunette's black ones.

Neither spoke. Neither knew what to say, so they said nothing.

They just stared at each other, lost in their own little worlds – that were too far apart from each other for any communication to take place.

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Okay, I'm ending it there because I'm lazy and nothing else is coming to my head about what to say or anything. I don't know… I guess I'm just in one of my minimal-thing moods. Don't mind it. _

_Yeah… moving on… elsewhere… hope you enjoyed! _


	7. God of Evil, God of Death

_Hi everyone, I'll get around to that fic I owe all of you very soon. I've been swamped with homework and the like since the year started. I should be preparing for a Macbeth audition on Monday, but I really don't feel like it. besides, I think I've withheld a chapter from all of you for as long as I care to. Thanks everyone for the support. Here's chapter seven. I hope you like it. _

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
****Chapter Seven: God of Death**

_

* * *

Look up. That day… that clear day. Didn't it rain? But… while we were soaked in the rain, she silently gave us… an umbrella of smiles. As if to say, "Sky. Please don't cry."_

_Kazuki, Soukyuu no Fafner_

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto continued staring at each other. It wasn't as though any ideas on what to say had just randomly popped in their heads. The Uchiha sat down on a couch, mainly to get off his painful ankle. He had gotten enough injuries over the years with his martial arts training to know when he was hurt and what to do. Right now, he had to rest.

But resting didn't mean that he couldn't talk to Naruto about how he had gotten injured, right? So therefore, his mind was flitting around, trying to figure out exactly what to say to the other boy.

"Who was that?" Sasuke asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Naruto heard it though. He had heard it and he knew exactly who Sasuke was talking about.

"Who was who?" he replied, trying to give the subtle hint that he didn't want to talk about what had happened. He leaned against a table, facing Sasuke with a dull look on his face as though he could care less. However, by looking at those cerulean blue eyes, Sasuke knew better. He knew much better. Naruto was trying to get his roommate to change the subject of the conversation, but Sasuke wasn't going to play his game.

"Naruto," he growled out. "You know who I mean, now tell me who the fuck it was."

Naruto just scowled at him for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he sighed, cracking his defenses to give a brief explanation. "Mizuki Touya," Naruto replied. "Lower-level demon from Hell. He was my caretaker – if you want to label him that – during the oh-so-fun century I spent in Hell." Sasuke could pick up the sarcasm in Naruto's voice during a few of his words.

"And why does he want you?"

"Because I'm sexy."

Sasuke was silent. He ignored the comment, glaring at Naruto. Silently, he was sending the message, _tell me the truth, dammit!_ Naruto seemed to have picked up on it, and with another sigh, he continued.

"Because I'm half-Demon and have another demon trapped inside of me, all right?" he growled. "Jeez, don't tell me that you happen to not know anything about us?"

"Us?" Sasuke repeated, eyes narrowing slightly from confusion.

The blonde smacked his forehead with his hand, muttering curses and other things that Sasuke seriously didn't know that his roommate knew.

"Look, there's two of us – well, three of us if you want to count the fox – in this body," the boy was explaining to him. "You have the idiot, Naruto. You have Kyuubi, the demon leader of Hell. And then there's me."

"And who are you?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"Mikaboshi Amatsu, the demon half of us," the boy said to him. Amatsu looked at Sasuke now and Sasuke could see differences from the normal Naruto. For one thing, his teeth had grown until fangs were their and his eyes were colder, more malicious than they normally were. It could have just been the light, but Sasuke could have sworn his eyes held a tint of red.

"Mikaboshi… Amatsu?" Sasuke repeated the name slowly, remembering where he had heard it from. "The god of evil?"

"Yeah, that's where I got the name. It was given to me by Kyuubi, so I take it in honor, unlike Naruto," the blonde growled. He laughed coldly. "Naruto is a name that was given to us in Heaven."

Sasuke was silent. Was he sure that he could deal with an Angel/Demon that had MPD? He didn't know, but according to the Hokage and them, he had to – at least for the time being.

_Geez__, exactly how many times is he going to change himself?_ Sasuke wondered. He didn't really want to know the answer to his question after he thought about it for a moment.

"What happened to you two when you were in Hell?" Sasuke wanted to know. Amatsu seemed like a more willing person to talk about something like that. However, Sasuke must have read Amatsu's personality wrong. The boy's blue/red eyes narrowed dangerously as he gritted his teeth at the memories.

"So that's what made Naruto go inside of us," Amatsu grumbled. He looked sharply, his features twisted into an evil glare. "_Never_, and I mean _never_ ask Naruto about our time in Hell unless you really feel like dealing with _me_ instead."

Sasuke wasn't scared, but he was wary. This side of Naruto didn't seem to be a pushover and in his current condition, it was iffy whether Sasuke could win or not.

"Whatever, I was just curious," Sasuke said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "After all, _my _neck is out there as well and I want to know if I'll be getting anymore unwelcome guests from Hell."

Amatsu shrugged. "That I can tell you is a probably," he told the boy. "Naruto and I haven't been to Earth before. We've been to Hell, we were in Heaven, but we weren't here. This place is pretty much a dangerous territory for us. I'll work a deal with you, if you're willing to sign a blood oath."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, an unamused look on his face. "What kind of blood oath?" he asked.

"Oh, you know. I'll come out whenever Naruto is in danger as long as I can draw upon a little of your lifeforce to be able to do so. This makes it so that whenever you see Naruto in danger, something in your head will trigger me to take over this body. Do we have a deal?" Amatsu asked.

"Couldn't I just teach Naruto how to defend himself."

"Sorry, dude," Amatsu told him. "Naruto and I are yin and yang. If I can fight, it means that he cannot. However, if I die, he dies as well and vice versa. There are just things that one of us can do, but the other can't. Without me, this kid wouldn't have made it this far – even with Tsunade-baba on his ass all the time. So, do we have a deal?"

Amatsu's reddish-blue eyes glinted at his roomy. Sasuke stared back. He overturned the information in his head. This would mean that his lifespan would be shortened every time that Naruto was in danger. He understood, then, what he had to do. He had to keep the blonde out of danger but whenever Naruto _was_ in danger, then Sasuke would release a seal of sorts and bring Amatsu out in order to protect the blonde.

"Fine, whatever, to the terms you just said _only_," Sasuke snarled.

"All right, all right," Amatsu told Sasuke. The demon bit his thumb and scraped it along a scroll that he had fished out of Naruto's room. Dragging his thumb down the length of the scroll, Amatsu made several signs with his hands before finally slamming his palm onto the middle of the scroll. The letters that were written on the paper glowed with a red, blue and white light. It almost looked as though the lights were going to engulf Amatsu before a small silver pocketwatch on a chain appeared.

"Get over here, bite your thumb, or something, and put your blood on the scroll!" Amatsu ordered. This was straining his chakra too much and if Sasuke didn't put his blood on it soon, then there would be no one to protect. Sasuke hobbled over as slapped some of the blood from one of his earlier wounds onto the parchment. Immediately, the silver of the pocketwatch turned gold on the back of it, so now only the lid and chain were silver. The light disappeared.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Amatsu grinned easily as he handed the pocketwatch over to Sasuke. "All ya gotta do to call me, is screw this part open and to close off the summons, screw it shut."

Sasuke stared at the other boy, wondering why a demon was placing all of his power and abilities in Sasuke's hands.

"I should be leaving-" Amatsu began but he was cut off by Sasuke.

"Wait, why the fuck are you giving this to _me_, why not someone else?" Sasuke wanted to know. "Why'd you offer this to me?"

Amatsu just smiled at the boy. "Just keeping a promise," he murmured before he closed his eyes and fainted.

Sasuke sighed. He glanced down at the pocketwatch, putting it around his neck before screaming through the wall for Kiba to come back over to help him with Naruto.

_

* * *

Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_I know, insanely short. I know, completely confusing. I just can't write a passive Naruto, which is what he was becoming in this fic, so I made up Amatsu. Isn't he sexy? I love Amatsu… maybe I'll keep him around for a while. However, I explained as much as I felt I could (or as my brain thought of) in this chapter. I hope everyone liked it and I WILL get out that SasuNaru one-shot fic one of these days._

_Ciao. I love you all!_


	8. Visit the Roadblocks

_Yo__! It's Kyuubi-kun and I'm back after a long hiatus about Wish Upon a Lost Wing with Chapter Seven. I got really braindead and then Pain's Stoic Pleasures and Live to Hate, hate to Live were taking up a lot of my time and sadistic qualities. But I know that all of you have to be curious about what Naruto went through in Hell… so I saved some of my sadism for this chapter. Hope you like. Ciao_

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
****Chapter Seven: Visit the Roadblocks**

* * *

"If I'm dreaming, never let me wake. If I'm awake, never let me dream."

- Orson Scott Card

* * *

Sasuke sat in his room. It was late at night. He looked at the pocketwatch that was around his neck, allowing the moon to glint off the silver lid, reflecting the light. The Uchiha could hardly believe what had happened to him in the past few weeks.

_What happened to you two when you were in Hell?_

He had wanted to know what the boy was afraid of – what would make Naruto tremble like that. Instead he learned that, not only did Naruto have that fox thing inside of him, but he was _half_ Demon and an apparent victim of Multiple Personality Disorder.

Sasuke flipped onto his side, wondering why the hell all of this stuff seemed to be happening to him. Shikmaru and Kiba were helping (like right now. Shikamaru said that the two of them would watch Naruto and Sasuke should sleep). Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't tired and falling asleep seemed to be a big thing. He didn't know what to do with this new information, about Amatsu and all.

He didn't even want to know.

Sighing, he stared at the ceiling. Three and a half days ago, maybe four now, (who knew?) Sasuke had been a normal college student. He had a grudge against his brother, who was doted on by his insanely rich parents, and he had sworn that he would beat Itachi at least once before he died. He could beat him at _Old Maid_ and his life's goal would be fulfilled, allowing him to move on. However, Sasuke hadn't even been able to do that.

He had been ranked as the third best martial artist in the country through several tournaments and such that he used to get better. His brother held the first place rank and some random kid from the northern parts of the country held the second place rank. Sasuke had been sick when he fault the kid, so he had lost.

But now…

Now, Sasuke was in charge of taking care of a hybrid Angel, who also had the former King of Demons entrapped in his belly. His neighbors were two Angels. His apartment had been remodeled by the Archangels, or whatever they were.

He had been in several fights, earning injuries that he didn't really want. He had vanquished a Demon and didn't remember it. Apparently, he was in Naruto's dream. Kiba kept sending him strange looks and Shikamaru was always muttering about how troublesome things were.

It was insane…

How could a person's life change _this much_ in a few days?

Sasuke hadn't been unhappy before – he didn't need change! But… it had found him, in the form of a blonde boy named Uzumaki Naruto.

With those thoughts in his head, Sasuke fell asleep.

* * *

Kiba looked at Shikamaru. The boy was sitting on the chair, staring at nothing, but apparently lost in thought. Kiba himself was thinking hard about what the heck that human in the next room could be.

He had wondered about this ever since he met Sasuke. The boy intrigued even the Hokage and Kiba still had no clue why he was as he was.

"Shikamaru?" the dog-boy asked.

"Hn?"

"What do you think Sasuke is?"

Shikamaru stared at his friend and comrade. In all honesty, he didn't know. It was the only riddle that he had come across in which he found himself unable to solve. Sighing, he thought about it some more. The Uchiha was no ordinary human. That was true, but then what kind of human was he?

Was he even human?

Shikamaru shook his head. There were so many questions in his mind and no answer could come to it.

_It's too troublesome_, one part of him said in his mind. _Just forget about it for now._

But the other part of Shikamaru was too curious to let it go. He needed to find out what the hell this was. Who the hell Sasuke was!

It was a mystery that he needed to solve in order to finally find some peace and calm in his head.

Otherwise, he was doomed to hear voices for eternity, or so it would seem.

"I don't know," he answered Kiba, finally escaping from his inner reverie. "I don't know enough about Sasuke to be able to decide what he is. He might be human, with benefits. He might be part of an ancient line of sorcerers. At this point in time, I don't have enough information to be able to answer."

Kiba nodded. He understood what Shikamaru was saying, but he couldn't help being disappointed.

"Do you suppose…?" the newly made scout asked.

"Suppose what?" Shikamaru wanted to know. His small black irises zeroed in on Kiba's.

"That he's related to Uchiha Itachi," Kiba completed.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. This was one angle that he hadn't considered. If Sasuke was indeed related to _the_ Uchiha Itachi, then it would explain a good deal of things. But it would also put Naruto in more danger than ever.

Naruto silenced a gasp that had threatened to come out.

_Uchiha Itachi_, he thought, shuddering. He really hoped that Sasuke wasn't related to Itachi. Naruto didn't ever want to meet Itachi ever again in his life. Itachi had been a very cruel being that Naruto had met several times in the past. Those times were enough for the boy. He loathed Itachi even more than the Kyuubi in his stomach. At least the Kyuubi hadn't spent hours torturing Naruto. The Kyuubi was just the reason _why_ people kept torturing him. He was trying to keep the tears at bay. He briefly heard Amatsu in his head.

_Naruto… don't remember, don't think about it!_ the Demon warned him. It was too late though. Naruto could already see it on the back of his closed eyelids.

* * *

_Mizuki__ walked into Naruto's cell, an evil smile already in place on his face. _

_"Good morning, Angel," Mizuki sneered. He always referred to Naruto as "Angel." _

_The blonde was chained to the wall, his wrists cuffed to a nail above his head. He looked up at Mizuki through his saddened cerulean eyes. How many months had he been here? Had years already passed? He didn't know, didn't even think he wanted to, for fear of the answer he would be given. _

_Behind Mizuki appeared another demon. This one had a certain beauty about him that made Naruto stare. The man had pale skin, almost translucent in color, but with just the hint of tan. His hair was long and black, held back into a ponytail. He was tall, dressed in a long black cloak with scarlet lining. But the stranger's eyes…_

_His eyes were crimson, the color of freshly spilt blood. Those brilliant eyes were hypnotizing. They were drawing the Angel in, not giving him a way out. The man's voice startled him out of his reverie. _

_"He looks a lot like his father, but he is softer, prettier. And those eyes. His mother's right?"_

_Mizuki nodded. That had been his first thought when he laid eyes on the boy. Itachi went over to Naruto. The boy looked at him, half-fearful, half-defiant. Itachi smirked at the expression. How he loved to break the unwilling. He had several mindless minions. Every last one had been made that way by Itachi himself. And if a person refused to be broken, then Itachi would kill them. _

_It was as simple as that. _

_Itachi placed his hand under Naruto's chin, forcing the boy to look at him._

_"I loved your mother," he told the captive. "But in the end, she chose an Angel over me. Do you know what I did because of that?"_

_Slowly, Naruto shook his head. _

_Itachi smirked. "I hunted her and that Angel husband of hers down. When I found them, she was holding you in her arms. You have no idea how angry that made me feel. So I completed the circle. I killed her. Her Angel tried to stop me, so I killed him as well. But I didn't kill you. Do you know why I didn't?"_

_Naruto shook his head again. Of course he didn't! He was just a babe when it happened. According to the age of Angels, he was still a toddler (even though his body resembled someone around the age of ten). He couldn't even guess at why he had been the only survivor. _

_Itachi laughed at this, as though it was the funniest thing in the world. _

_"I didn't kill you," he finally responded, "because you have something I want and I will stop at nothing to get it."_

_Naruto was even more puzzled when he heard this. What could he have? Everything he owned, everything of importance had been taken from him. All he had left was his body – and why would Itachi want his body?_

_"What do I have?" he wanted to know. The question was asked more out of curiosity than anything else. _

_"You, child, are the key to ultimate power," Itachi explained. Naruto was still confused but he didn't get a chance to ask another question. _

_Itachi seemed to be done conversing with Naruto. The man stood, turning around and walked out the door. "Bring him," he ordered Mizuki as he passed. _

_Naruto's caretaker nodded, enthusiastic to be asked to do anything by Uchiha Itachi, who was very well known in Hell and Heaven. _

_Mizuki came over to where Naruto was. He undid the cuffs that attached the boy to the wall, putting the boy in a new contraption. The boy now had a silver collar on, linked by a loose chain to a new pair of cuffs, which also had another piece of chain that served as a leash of sorts. _

_"Come on," the silver-haired man snapped. He tugged harshly on the chain he was holding. Naruto flew forward, bruising his cheek on the cold stone floor of his tiny cell. _

_Wearily, the blonde got to his feet. Mizuki began walking quickly, leaving it to Naruto to not get dragged too much or try not to trip and fall on his face again. _

_Naruto was led through several long, twisting corridors that were like a maze to him. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of walking, they arrived in what appeared to be a laboratory. _

_Itachi was there, along with several other people that Naruto could only guess as to their names or positions amongst the ranks of Demons. _

_The poor blonde was forced onto the examining table. His hands and feet were tied so that he couldn't move. _

_One of the other Demons came over wielding a dagger. He slid the cool metal under Naruto's tattered shirt and slid the blade through the thin material, which effectively cut it off. Naruto felt the cool air on his chest. He knew that the clothes were not much protection against the icy chills that went through the drafty dungeons where he was imprisoned, but the cloth had been come measure of protection against the cold gaze of the Demons in the room. _

_Naruto saw one of them wheel over a cart with tools on it. These tools, from what Naruto could see, were stained in blood. His eyes widened with some form of realization and he was paralyzed with fear. _

Naruto_, a voice in his head was saying_, give control over to me. I can fight this, try to free us. You want to be free, right?

_Naruto nodded, trusting this voice. _

_The cerulean blue eyes closed and when the lids snapped open again, the color of the irises was not the same as it had been a few seconds before. Now amethyst stared out from under those golden bangs._

_The gaze was no longer fearful. Rather, it was filled with cold rage as the boy began to struggle against the bonds that held him where he was. _

_Realizing that the physical strength of his body would not be enough to break the bonds, the boy called upon the powers that lay deep within him. Fire emitted from his hands. The ropes holding him where he was were burned to cinders. _

_He sat up, burning the ties on his feet. The blonde vaulted off the table. Several of the Demons, including Mizuki, had been too surprised by his sudden change that they were frozen to the spot. Very few were not. Itachi was one of these few. _

_While the boy jumped off the table, Itachi swiftly ran towards the door of the room, effectively cutting off the boy's only escape._

_"Come now, Naruto, you don't want to get hurt, do you?" Itachi sneered. In his head, the boy's fate was already sealed. Whether he wanted to get hurt or not, Itachi was going to show him the meaning of pain. _

_The blonde smirked at the Demon. "That's not my name, so before we battle, at least learn this," the boy told the Uchiha. "I am the __Chosen__ of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. My name is Mikaboshi Amatsu!"_

_Itachi raised an eyebrow at this explanation. _God of Death?_ he thought. _

_"I don't care if you were chosen by Kami-sama himself!" Itachi scoffed. "There is something you have that I want, understand? I am willing to do anything to get that something!"_

_Amatsu just grinned easily at the man. "If you want it, come and claim it," he challenged. _

_Itachi stepped forward in response to the challenge given. This boy was interesting, but alas, Itachi wanted what was in his stomach more than the character of the boy. _

_Amatsu crouched, his hands clenching into fists. Without a word, the boy rushed on the offensive. He was impatient, and that would be his downfall. _

_Itachi easily caught the boy's punch when it was sent his way. Amatsu wasn't quite down yet. He moved to punch the man in the fut. He made it seem as though he was aiming for the shoulder though. _

_Itachi, however, saw through the attack. He blocked the onslaught made by the boy, grabbing both of the hands he held and twisting them around the boy's body. Everytime Amatsu moved, pain flared through his arms. _

_Amatsu hung his head in defeat. He knew he had been beaten and the fact didn't bode well with the Demon boy. He hated losing – to anyone! It always annoyed him. _

_"It seems like I win, Amatsu-kun," Itachi scoffed. _

_Amatsu growled, his purple gaze enraged. Naruto had been counting on his Demon half and here the boy had been defeated. _

_"You do understand I now have to take certain precautions when working with you, correct?" Itachi told him. _

_Before Amatsu had a chance to retort, Itachi gave a vicious yank to his right arm, snapping the bone. Amatsu howled in pain, not expecting the move. Without warning, the Uchiha repeated the action with his left arm. _

_Amatsu squeezed his eyes shut, holding back the tears of pain. Itachi dragged Amatsu over to the examining table. With a sharp jab, pain flared through the boy's knee. Itachi had broken his kneecap!_

_"That was to ensure that you won't run off, understand?" Itachi told him. Amatsu gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. _

_His limbs were tied to the table again. Amatsu didn't know what was going to happen but he had the distinct feeling that whatever it was, he wouldn't like it. _

_One of the other Demons came over as soon as he was secure. Amatsu immediately disliked this one. He didn't smell right. It was almost as though the man was the embodiment of pain – or sadism. Amatsu smelled blood on him, so much blood! And it was the blood of everything – human, Angel, Demon, animal, everything! _

_The man picked up a small knife. Working effortlessly and with no expression the Demon cut a vertical line from Amatsu's sternum to his navel. The blonde clenched his teeth together, nearly blinded by the pain. Why wasn't he given anything to numb his chest or to knock him out?_

Oh yeah_, his sensible, yet somewhat sarcastic side told him_, This is Hell.

_That was the last coherent thought in the hybrid's mind. The pain kept him in and out of consciousness for the next several hours as they tested the healing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra on him with this strange, agonizing procedure._

* * *

Naruto gave a yelp, which got both Shikamaru and Kiba to turn towards him.

"Naruto?" Kiba asked, surprised. He walked over to the bed in order to see the boy better.

Naruto had a look of pure fear in his bright blue eyes. Kiba didn't know what was wrong. Tears leaked down the boy's face as he bit harshly at his bottom lip. Even Shikamaru was curious as to what went wrong with the Angel.

Naruto looked around, as though someone would appear right out of the woodwork.

Kiba continued to stare at his friend. He had never seen the boy this spooked before in his life. He was wondering how he would comfort his friend when none other than Sasuke appeared in the doorway to the room.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Sasuke asked. Shikamaru stared at the teenager. How was Sasuke able to know that Naruto was in trouble? The Nara boy also noticed that Sasuke was gripping the doorframe as though it were a lifeline.

"We're not entirely sure," Kiba answered. Sasuke sighed, walking towards his charge. As soon as he was within five feet of the blonde, the boy freaked. He stared at Sasuke with a petrified look on his face.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, but Naruto didn't recognize him as Uchiha Sasuke.

He saw Uchiha Itachi instead.

Sasuke didn't understand why the Angel/Demon was so out of it and (apparently) terrified of him. Deciding he would ask about it later (as he knew he wasn't getting answers right then) Sasuke began to back away from the blonde slowly. He didn't know what else there was for him to do.

He would have to trust Shikamaru and Kiba to calm the boy down. Meanwhile, Sasuke needed to find headache medicine.

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner_

_Hello everyone, I really hope you liked this chapter. I'm going to respond to reviews now. I feel that I owe it to all of you, what with my taking most of January off for my own break. It's not a very good thing to do when you're running seven-ten fics at the same time but everyone needs a break every now and then. January just happened to be the month I decided to take off. After all, I had exams (one of which I failed… forty five out of two hundred… it's horrible, really!) I didn't study for it or nothing! Oh well, I still got a high C for the quarter, so things are good. _

_Anyways, on to reviews, neh?_

**_Review Responses_**

_**Yuen-chan**: Sorry, haven't written to one-shot yet. Need to think about a plotline for it. Hopefully, I'll have it out by March… not sure if that will happen, but I can hope, neh?_

_**Inuyoukaitsuchi**__: Lol, most people like IBB, at least, that's what I'm told through numerous reviews. I'm glad you enjoy this story and my others. _

_**ChibiNekoSakura**__: Amatsu is great… I love Amatsu-kun…_

_**Kico**__ **Yushimi**: Thanks for loving my story. I'm always happy when people like my work. _

_**Shiomi**__: Yeah… thanks for the comment about my writing improving. It's good to know that not everything stays the same and at least I'm getting better with my writing and what have you. I'm happy you like my other fics as well. _

_**Kuroi**__ **Hikari**: Ah, imouto… when will you ever give up Oro-chan's laugh? And Naru-chan, if he didn't have MPD, wouldn't be any fun to write in this story. Damn Angel-ness… so passive… needed Amatsu… And here's a peek of what happened in Hell. Be warned its not all… but its all I have…_

_**Kibethan**__: Funky? That's a new twist on how to say it… yeah… I needed Amatsu… dunno why, but I love him anyway. I changed the color of his eyes as well… cuz I couldn't remember what they were. _

_**Ghostninja85**: Whaaat? You don't like Amatsu? ((sobs)) What's not to like about him… and whaddya mean 'knowing me we will'… that just confuzzles me… a lot, actually… _

_**Tracy**-**kins**: Of course Sasuke is arrogant in every situation. If he wasn't, then he wouldn't be Sasuke, would he? Of course not! I got two parts in my audition. It was actually for Midsummer Night's Dream but I used Macbeth's speech to audition. I'm playing Egeos and Starvling. Both are great characters and not main characters, so I don't have to memorize as many lines as I might have if I was Helena, Lysander or Hermia. I wanted to be Puck, but I'll take what I can get, thank you_

_**Tyranimo**__: You've seen Soukyuu no Fafner! I thought it was only me and Chibi-senpai, cuz it was Chibi-senpai that had told me about Fafner. Wheee… I love Kazuki and Soushi… though the ending made me almost cry… poor Kazuki…_

_**KageJutsu**__: Wheee… I have two stories on your favorite stories list? I feel so privileged. I really do! Wheeheehee! Moving on, however, I'm glad that you liked this story. It makes me happy that people like my work. Sorry for the length of the last chapter… and of this chapter – its only six pages… but I figured length doesn't matter so much as updates do. I would rather end it here than spend another few months trying to figure out what to write next. _

_**TrigunChic**__: I've posted quite a few new stories, actually. And yes, I'm a sadist, so of course I like to torture you. Sorry for the shortness and confusion of course will always come with MPD, which was introduced in the last chapter. Amatsu sounds flirtatious, neh? I wonder what kind of dudes he goes for… Sorry for the wait, its been a hectic month and I've not the time to update everything, so I'm working as hard as I can here._

_Well, there's all my replies because that's all the people what reviewed. Thanks everyone and I hope that it won't be as long til my next update_


	9. Sacred Pasts

_This is the chapter where I get to really fuck with the mindsets of the world. This is why it's AU. I just got the urge to continue this today. It's creepy how it's been nearly two years since I've updated it. Very scary. Well. It's updated now. I hope to not leave it hanging that long anymore._

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing**  
**Chapter Seven: Sacred Pasts**

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"Rain… I shall give you solitude until the day I am born. I shall give you the end of time and the end of the world."

Yuka Collarbell, _Immortal Rain_

------------------------------------_  
_

Sasuke stared at the ceiling. He couldn't really understand anything that was going on. In his hand, he held the watch that he and Amatsu had made. It was strange, insane, that he was trapped in this supernatural battle with a Multi-Personality Disorder Angel when he hadn't believed in these things a mere week before.

Sometimes he didn't even believe in it now. It didn't matter though. Naruto was real. Shikamaru and Kiba… they were real too. He had no reason to doubt this. He knew that they were real.

So why did he want to believe that they were just imaginings of an over-worked mind? He snorted at the idea. It wasn't hard to figure out the answer. He wouldn't say he had been happy with his life before Naruto, but he wasn't unhappy with it. He liked it well enough. He got on well enough. He made good grades in his classes.

His eyes widened. Classes.

He would have to take _Naruto _to classes. The boy could barely understand simple things like how to use a fork and he was expected to know things in _Advanced _classes.

Did that seem stupid to anyone else?

Sasuke heaved a long, steady breath, letting it out slowly through his nose.

"You look like you're having trouble with things," a voice startled him out of his musings.

He turned to his left to see who it was quickly. The man standing there, he didn't recognize. This man was… ninja-ish. He was dressed entirely in blue, with a greed vest. A facemask covered most of his face and his spikey silver hair was held back by a headband that covered one of his eyes.

Sasuke blinked at him, unsure of what to say before he realized that this man was in _his_ room.

"Get out," he said simply, glaring at the newcomer.

"Oy, oy! Is that any way to treat a guest?" the stranger asked, with what Sasuke deemed to be a smile on his face.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes more. "Out."

"Only if you tell me where Naruto is."

This set off alarm bells in his head. Maybe this guy was a Demon of some sort. Maybe he was here to take Naruto away. Maybe he was here to kill Sasuke and _then _take Naruto away. The possibilities were endless and Sasuke didn't know what he could do to say anything about it.

"You… what do you want?" he finally growled, standing up so that he didn't seem so vulnerable to this man.

"I just want to check in with a student of mine. Certainly Tsunade-san told you I would be dropping by."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto's teacher. Kakashi."

Sasuke vaguely recalled Tsunade mentioning this man in her letter when she had completely changed his apartment around.

"Why are you here though?" Sasuke prodded. He wasn't entirely sure that he liked this silver-haired ninja man. Sure, the guy seemed nice enough, but Sasuke wasn't exactly what one would call a trusting individual.

Kakashi was never given a chance to respond when Sasuke heard Naruto's voice shouting for him.

"Excuse me," Sasuke told the older man stiffly before shoving his way past him and through the door that was built to connect the two apartments. It was a recent addition that Shikamaru had done. He said it was useless to have to run out one door, down the hall and through the other in order to reach them so he had gotten permission to reconstruct the wall.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked as soon as he arrived.

Naruto shoved past Kiba and came over to Sasuke. The boy seemed to be in a daze, but Sasuke could somehow feel that this was still Naruto, and not Kyuubi or Amatsu. Still, he was… searching for something that Sasuke wasn't able to figure out.

The blonde came closer, reaching out and cupping Sasuke's face in his hands. The black-haired boy could feel the warm spreading from those hands. Instinctively, he reached up and placed his hands against Naruto's, relishing in the warmth.

Naruto smiled softly and Sasuke could find nothing more beautiful than that. He felt as though he were trapped in a moment, someplace that wasn't Earth, or Heaven, or anywhere else. It was someplace that only consisted of the two of them.

The blonde's mouth opened to speak, but the name that crossed his lips caused that moment to crash, splintering the feelings that were overtaking Sasuke to the four corners of the Earth and not allowing him to rekindle even a little speck of them.

"Neji."

Angered, though not really sure why, Sasuke ripped Naruto's hands away from his face.

"What the hell?" he asked, trying to control the emotion in his voice. He needed to sound angry, not hurt… _angry_.

He was failing and he knew it. Somehow, by whispering someone else's name in that moment, Naruto had effectively hurt Sasuke.

The Uchiha growled in his hand, hurrying to find his composure, to use it, to make it work again. All of his panic, his anger, his rage, his pain, all of that was soon safely hidden behind his trademark indifferent mask.

Naruto looked at him, confused. "Oh… you're not… I'm sorry," he murmured softly, moving away from Sasuke.

Sasuke growled in his mind. This boy… this boy… there were no words.

"Naruto, your teacher is here. I'm going out. Shikamaru?"

The lazy Scout looked up. "Huh?"

"Watch him. I have my cell with me… but I'm really not in the mood to answer it. Emergencies only."

He hastily pulled out a pen and wrote the number down on a napkin that was lying on one of the tables.

He didn't even say any type of farewell as he made his way out of the apartment. He walked quickly, not knowing where he was going, just that he had to get away, even for a little while.

The Uchiha stumbled upon a bench near the center of the college campus. He would return to classes tomorrow, no matter what happened. That was certain. He couldn't afford to miss more. He could be in danger of losing his scholarship. He needed to still care for classes.

_Neji…_

He couldn't keep his mind off the blonde for very long, could he? No, his mind just had to keep coming back to that bloody **_blonde!_ **

"Calm down, Sasuke," he grunted to himself.

Still, that name was familiar. He couldn't say where he had heard it, but it was definitely familiar. He tried to remember, tried to narrow it down.

But he couldn't.

There was nothing behind it except that fleeting feeling.

---

It was a few hours before he managed to return back to the apartment. He needed the time to clear his head, and so he came back completely in control of his emotions. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, and Sasuke found himself glad about that. The brief encounter he had with the man had left a very particular reaction.

He didn't like him at all.

The Uchiha rubbed his face, making a small noise of annoyance as he walked through the front door. He had barely gotten the door shut when something (or rather some_one_) jumped on him, shoving him into the closed door. He looked down to see a mass of blonde hair and a brief smile passed over his features before he schooled them into blankness once again.

"Naruto," he said in a tired voice. "What are you doing?"

The boy looked up at him, a little fearfully, but there was a determined glint in his eyes.

"Do you…" he began but shook his head rapidly. "No reason."

Sasuke couldn't find himself to be satisfied with this answer, but as he had told the blond, he would not pry. Obviously Naruto couldn't talk about it or didn't want to. Either way was fine for Sasuke. He had enough on his plate.

A small part of him wondered what it could be, whispering doubts and wishes in his mind, but he firmly stamped onto that voice, pressing down on it until it was no more.

"Get off me, idiot," Sasuke growled, but there was no real menace in his voice, just exhaustion. Naruto didn't listen to him. Not caring anymore, Sasuke allowed Naruto to guide him over to the couch and push him down onto it, curling up next to him. He should stop this. He shouldn't lead Naruto on like this.

He didn't really care _that_ way about the boy. He couldn't bring himself to.

---

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. The news that he had just brought her was… bad at best.

"You _can't_ be serious," she snarled at him.

Jiraiya took her anger in stride. "It's true, Tsunade. Hell's forces are on the move. Gaara probably told someone down there about Naruto."

"That _isn't comforting!"_ she screeched.

Jiraiya stared at her and heaved a large, heavy sigh. "I _can't _make it comforting, I'm just telling you what I've heard!"

Tsunade gritted her teeth. "Is there any other news?" she asked softly, not really wanting to hear it even if there was.

Anko stepped forward, slamming a folder hard down on the Hokage's desk. "This is what my Scouts have found out. It's not much, but it gives us somewhere to start. It's about that human, if you could call him that."

Tsunade looked over her folded hands, her eyebrows raised in question. "Explain, please," she bid of her comrade.

Anko nodded, a smirk coming to her lips. "Well… Uchiha Sasuke is indeed related to Uchiha Itachi of Hell. However... there are some discrepancies. For all intents and purposes, Sasuke is human. Itachi, as we all know is a half-Demon. The two had different mothers. And Sasuke's mother… that's where the interesting bit comes in."

"Stop building up to it, Anko, and just tell us," Ibiki grumbled, his stern gaze on his companion.

She had the sudden urge to stick her tongue out at him, but decided against it in the end. "Fine. For all intents and purposes of this information, Sasuke is the reincarnation of _Hyuuga Neji_, the hume that was killed helping Naruto out of Hell."

Tsunade's eyes widened and she slammed her hands on the table.

Ibiki's arms dropped to his side carelessly as he tried to contain his surprise.

Jiraiya let out a loud noise to show his shock.

Orochimaru smirked. The pallid man couldn't help but think about how the stage had been set. Now the main players just needed to play their parts well enough to please the King of Hell.

And then, then the world, and the realms of Heaven and Hell would be in his grasp.

----

_**Kyuubi-kun's Korner!**_

_Not really much to say. I wrote this today. It took me forever, and it's short. I can't make it longer. I want to get it out there, rather than focusing on length and have yet another year pass by before I can update once again. _

_Cheers!_

_EDIT: (points to above paragraph). That was me being sarcastic. I want to make it NOT another year. _


	10. Awaken, Frozen One

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
Chapter Nine: Awaken, Frozen One  
**

-----------------------

"Sometimes it just gets hot and the weather affects your mind and then you get confused and sick and life gets crazy and everything starts spinning and you seem to have no time for anything and all of your daily activities become grey and the lines become less defined until what is happening on one day becomes the next and the day becomes the night and back and forth and then you wake up or go to sleep and you realize you are in the future and are not quite sure how you got there."

-SillyGoth(dot)com

----------------------- 

Tsunade looked over the file that Anko had left on her desk.There was something that was bothering her. Age didn't really matter. Some who were born were placed in stasis for years, for reasons that no one could think of. It was a technique that both Demons and Angels knew, but Humans did not and she was thankful for that. It was a technique that she hated using, though she had only once before.

The age didn't matter. Sasuke was older than he appeared to be, but he had only _really_ awakened nineteen years ago. It was probably the work of his older brother. It could also explain why the Uchiha line had mysteriously disappeared for many years before coming back to the surface. It was known that Itachi had spent most of those years in Hell, so he had probably taken his little brother, his father and his step-mother down there with him, in the form of Time Freeze, so that he could finalize his plans.

That part she had figured out.

Sasuke's powers were still a mystery to her, but she knew that with time, they would be revealed as well.

It was the entire Sasuke and Neji issue that she could not believe, would not believe.

Hyuuga Neji had been dying when she had found him and Naruto. Afraid for his life, Tsunade had put his body into stasis. He still lived. But only Tsunade and Jiraiya knew of that. They released the news that he had died under her care because his injuries were too much. This was to prevent anyone from knowing the truth. It had worked.

Still, the false information was disconcerting, at best. She would have to look into that matter later. Someone was definitely making up false information and as a Kage, she could not let that go unattended. Still, there were things that needed to be done right now.

Tsunade walked to her clinic. Even though she was Hokage, she specialized in medicine, which was strange. It was usually the Mizukage that was the doctor and the Hokage just focused on being the Judge. This generation of Kages was strange though. More so than all of history's stories. The Mizukage didn't even know how to heal a cut, let alone be a doctor, but Tsunade had a gift with such things.

She made her way to the back of the clinic, where only she had access to and opened a locked steel door. Inside, on a bed, lay Hyuuga Neji, now three hundred and twenty-two years old.

"Sorry for keeping you under so long, Neji," she whispered to him as she moved forward. "It was for your own safety. But I need you once again to protect Naruto."

Tsunade quickly cast the spell that would release Neji from his sleep.

The boy woke up slowly, his pearly-white eyes staring at the ceiling in confusion. He turned his head to the side.

"Tsunade-san?" he asked softly.

"Hello, Neji. We have a lot to talk about. For starters, you've been asleep for nearly three hundred years."

It was going to be a long night. Tsunade knew that, but she also knew that she had to explain _everything _to Neji. And that would take some time. For his part, Neji didn't seem to be exhibiting any aggressive tendencies for being put to sleep for three hundred years without being asked.

* * *

Sasuke awoke the next day with a stiff neck. He groggily opened his eyes, looking around, before he realized that he had fallen asleep sitting up on his couch. 

_Note to self_, he sighed mentally. _Never do that again._

He tried to move, only to find a weight pressed firmly against his side.

He looked down, subconsciously fearing the worst, when he saw Naruto.

"That can't be comfortable," he grunted before shaking the boy awake. Today, he _really_ needed to get back to classes.

"Naruto, wake up, we have to eat and then classes."

The blonde merely moaned in his sleep and snuggled further into Sasuke's leg. Sasuke decided to take the initiative and just stood up, wrenching Naruto awake in the process. The blonde tumbled to the floor.

"Ow," he groaned, rubbing his head. "Why'd you wake me up like that?" He pouted, looking entirely adorable for Sasuke.

Backtrack. Sasuke didn't call Naruto adorable. He meant something like… annoying, or irritating. Never adorable. Stupid Angels. They were confusing him.

"Come on, Naruto. We have to get to class today. Change your clothes."

Naruto yawned and nodded as Sasuke moved to the kitchen area of his rooms in order to cook some type of breakfast. He found that he wasn't hungry and he didn't have the energy to make anything more than toast.

Naruto came out of his room a little bit later. Sasuke had to commend him. He was a fast learner, even though he still needed to learn how to put on a shirt. So, the black-haired college student walked over to the blonde and pointed out the point of the tag and how it always went in the back. Naruto nodded and they went over to the table.

Breakfast passed without any incidents, luckily. Sasuke found that he couldn't deal with the blonde's antics when he did something wrong right now. He needed to focus on classes. He needed to maintain a high grade point average for his scholarship.

"Come on, it's time for class," he bid to Naruto. He grabbed his bag and walked out into the hallway to find Shikamaru and Kiba waiting for him.

"So, class?" Kiba asked with a grin.

Shikamaru sighed. "So bothersome," he let out.

Sasuke had to fight to keep from rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe that these people could be considered his friends. He really couldn't.

"So how does this work out?" Sasuke asked as they exited their building.

Kiba looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you guys have to be introduced to the class or something?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Too troublesome. Three transfers from the same place at the same time. Too suspicious. There could be Demon activity here. At least we can assume so because Gaara was here."

"So how does this all work out."

"The Kages altered the memories of everyone on this campus who was non… well, non-us."

"They can do that?"

Kiba nodded. "Aren't they awesome?" he practically bounced.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah, sure. Awesome."

Naruto chewed his lips. "We're in all the same classes, right?" he asked nervously.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. Thank Tsunade for that."

Naruto looked relieved. "Thank Sarutobi."

They arrived at their class, _History of Western Civilization_, fairly quickly. All four of them took seats in the back to watch the students pour in. Sasuke was accustomed to sitting in the back, and the other three could pretty much do whatever. He wasn't sure how so many people's memories could be altered in order to make room for Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto in their lives, but he figured that he would get a headache by just thinking about it.

All four of them noticed when one figure walked in, flanked by two others. Sasuke blinked, trying to place that person.

"Gaara," Shikamaru whispered. "What's he doing here?"

Sasuke nodded. Now he recognized the redhead.

"And that's Temari and Kankarou," Kiba put in.

"Who are they?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"They're his siblings," Shikamaru explained softly, so as to not attract the attention of any of the humans that were steadily filling up the room.

Gaara turned towards them, his mouth curving into a smirk. Sasuke chanced to look at Naruto. The boy had been uncharacteristically silent during the entire exchange since Gaara and his siblings entered the room.

Naruto was staring straight ahead, doing his best to _not_ look at the three Demons. Sasuke sighed. He was never good at comforting other people or anything, so he cast a helpless look at Shikamaru and Kiba. Kiba wasn't even trying to hide his amusement at the look on Sasuke's face. He was chuckling. That was until Shikamaru smacked him and gestured to the front.

Sasuke turned and was surprised to see a familiar face – who _wasn't_ his teacher before.

"Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked in a strangled tone.

"Hmm?" the Scout replied.

"Could you please tell me why the fuck that angel lady is now my professor for History!" Sasuke growled menacingly, gesturing at Tsunade.

Shikamaru took no effect to the tone of Sasuke's voice as he shrugged. "Don't know."

Sasuke groaned, burying his face in his hands. Why did it feel like everything was spiraling out of control?

"Hello class, today we will be…" Tsunade began, and the class paid attention as though they had had no other professor.

At the end of the lesson, Tsunade asked the four of them to stay behind. The class, including the Demons, filed out, though Gaara and his crew shot a nasty look as the four of them walked forward to meet the Hokage.

"Is there a reason why you're teaching my class, Tsunade-san?" Sasuke asked immediately, looking at her suspiciously. "What happened to Professor Kurasawa?"

"She's away," Tsunade answered shortly. "Believe me, it's for the best that I and the other Kages take over the teaching positions for your classes for the time being."

"Don't you have, y'know, _jobs_ to do in Heaven or whatever it's called?" he snapped.

Tsunade sighed. "This is more important. We're looking at a war starting between Heaven and Hell at the drop of a dime again," she warned them. "Tensions are high. There's false information being spread around Heaven, and we can only hope that the culprit will be caught soon. As it is…" She turned specifically to Naruto. "I'm reinstating your old Guardian."

"But… but… he's _dead_," Naruto stammered. "I _saw_ him die!"

"No. You didn't. You saw him slip unconscious. He'll report to your and Sasuke's apartment later tonight."

"Wait a second!" Sasuke yelled. "I'm not having anyone _else_ move into my apartment. You want him to watch over Naruto? Fine. I understand that. But he's rooming with Kiba and Shikamaru!"

Tsunade looked at him, narrowing her eyes. Sasuke wasn't backing down. His personal space had already been encroached upon and he _would not_ allow anyone else inside his apartment. He would fight her for that. He didn't care if he would be beaten in five seconds. He _would_ fight her for that. He was sure of it.

After a few moments of the staring contest they were sharing, Tsunade grunted, "Fine. Remember, _no one_ is to speak his name around Gaara and his siblings. Hell cannot know he survived. It's why I placed him in stasis all those years ago."

"Then what do we call him?" Kiba asked.

"Figure it out." There was a pause as she rubbed the bridge of her nose before she continued. "Kiba, Shikamaru? It appears that Naruto's Guardian is staying with you."

"All right," Kiba answered.

"So bothersome," Shikamaru grumbled but was silenced by a glare from Tsunade.

Sasuke looked at Tsunade, this time a curious look crossed his features. "What is a Guardian?" he asked.

"A Guardian is a human that had inhuman powers," Tsunade answered automatically. "Because they have these powers, they can be scouted and some are assigned to certain Angels in order to protect them. Special Angels and such, they need someone to look out for them. They have a longer lifespan than the normal human and also look younger for longer. Once they reach the age of about eighteen to twenty-four, they're growth slows down. This enables some to live for hundreds of years. They started the myths of vampires and such."

Sasuke nodded and sighed. He wasn't sorry that he asked, but he would have to wait until later to digest the information about what a Guardian was. They just didn't have the time right now.

"We need to get to our next class," he let out. Naruto grabbed his arm. The black-haired boy sighed again but allowed the blonde to hang off him. He really should stop Naruto before the boy got the wrong idea.

But he didn't want to.

* * *

It was late when the Kages could meet again. Tsunade looked around at them gravely, wondering if she would be able to trust all of these people. She knew she should. The five of them were a step below Sarutobi, the ruler of all of Heaven. She should be able to trust them. 

So why was her gut telling her that someone in this room was a traitor? Still, she knew that she had to get this out.

"The information that Anko gave yesterday was wrong. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji, while having some relation, are not the same spirit," she blurted out, looking at each of them in turn.

Anko slammed her hands on the desk. "That can't be!" she growled. "My Scouts dug it up!"

"And you were misinformed. Believe me when I say that. However, this brings up a very large problem that we have here. Someone has been spreading lies through our ranks. We need to figure out who this is as soon as possible."

"What's the worst-case scenario?" Ibiki asked slowly.

"Full-scale war, the likes of which we have never seen before in Heaven or Hell. Not even when the Fox attacked."

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

Well, I actually like how this one turned out. I hope I cleared up a few things. Originally, there was going to be more, but I just kept writing and I decided to split the chapter in half. The next one should be available soon.


	11. Running

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing**  
**Chapter 10: Running**

--------------------------------------

"Poetry is the moan forced from your mouth just as you're being gagged. Freedom is the sound of the handcuffs clicking shut around your wrists. Trust is the darkness you can see while blindfolded. Life is bondage."

Anonymous

--------------------------------------

Sasuke was watching TV with Shikamaru in his apartment-dorm room when there was a knock at the door. Kiba was curled up in the chair, asleep. Naruto was in his room.

"I suppose that's him," he said softly. He turned to Shikamaru as he got up. "Do you know who this mystery person is?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "No."

Slowly, Sasuke made his way over to the door. He opened it to see a man a little older than him standing there. The man had white eyes and long black hair that was hanging free. He stared at Sasuke blankly.

"Are you Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked in a harsh tone, full of confidence and authority.

Sasuke nodded, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like this man's tone. He decided right then that he didn't like this guy at all.

"You are?" he replied tersely.

"I am Hyuuga Neji," the man informed him, not moving. "I am Uzumaki Naruto's Guardian. I have been reinstated today to such a position after a resting period of three hundred years. Let me pass so I may see him."

Sasuke nearly growled at the man but decided against it. He stepped aside. Hyuuga swept into the room almost as if he owned the place.

"Which door leads to Naruto's room?"

At lost for words, Sasuke merely pointed, trying to figure out ways and reasons that he could kick this newcomer out of his house. He supposed that Naruto would want to meet him first though, then he could make the suggestion that class started early the next day and they should all get some shut eye. Since he had won against Tsunade about where Hyuuga would be saying, that would work.

Brilliant!

It had to work.

Meanwhile, Hyuuga had reached the door of Naruto's room and knocked politely on the tarnished wood.

Naruto came to the door quietly, opening the door. He took in the visage of Neji in front of him.

Neji. The man hadn't changed, not at all. He had been hopeful, but disbelieving what Tsunade had been saying earlier that day. There could be no way that Neji could have survived the wounds that Itachi and his minions had given him. Even as he saw Neji before him, his mind's eye warped and twisted to show him the days past: the time when Neji nearly died… because of him. It had been so long since he thought of that day.

_He had given up, lying there in that cell. Because of this, and the fact that one of his legs was broken from the latest treatment of Itachi, Naruto's wrists were no longer restrained. It had been a long time since he had been restrained, now that he thought about it. _

_He didn't know how much time had passed. Time didn't matter here. All that mattered was the dingy cell that closed in on him, oppressing his senses and consuming all of him. He slowly began to forget things, small things. He could hardly remember where he had come from. He didn't even remember his own name half of the time. _

_When the dungeon door was flung open, he didn't care to look up. He couldn't bring himself to look into the eyes of his tormentors. _

_Not even Amatsu could do that anymore. Amatsu, who had been bursting with pride all those days ago, all those _years_ ago, could barely do anything, but Naruto was still thankful for the Demon's presence in his mind. _

_After all, Amatsu was the reason he hadn't truly broken yet. The thought that he was not alone. They helped each other in this situation. Amatsu kept Naruto sane and Naruto gave Amatsu a reason to continue on. _

_They couldn't die here. Both of them had agreed on that. They couldn't die here. _

_"Naruto," the voice breathed softly. _

_Naruto looked up, so unaccustomed to having his name spoken aloud. He was Angel, was he not? That was all he could ever amount to. A nameless Angel. _

_Still, that voice brought warmth and the feeling of protection and days long forgotten. That voice brought him a strange feeling of happiness once again. How could anything bring him something like this? _

_**He smells nice**, Amatsu commented softly. _

_**What does he smell like?** Naruto wanted to know. _

_He could feel Amatsu's grin in his mind. **He smells like… like Heaven.**_

_Naruto smiled. He knew that Amatsu had the keener sense of smell, even though they shared the same body. They both brought out different attributes of his body. It was a way to be different from each other. While Amatsu was wonderful with smell and taste, he couldn't see very well and his hearing was nothing compared to Naruto's. _

_It was the little things that counted. Still, when the intruder dressed as a warrior offered his hand to Naruto, the blonde took it in utmost trust. _

_"Come on, Naruto, let's get out of here," the being told him. _

_"I can't… my leg," the blonde responded, looking ashamed. _

_The long-haired man merely nodded and passed him an herb. "Tsunade-sama gave me this. It's to help any injuries you might have sustained." _

_Naruto couldn't help thinking at this time that this man spoke properly. His words were elegant, and his voice beautiful. Slowly, the Angel ate the herb and allowed its healing properties to work. Thanks to Tsunade, the herb's rate of effectiveness was highly improved, making it stronger and work faster. _

_"All right," he answered the unspoken question after a few moments. "Let's get out of here."_

_And so they did. They made it far enough that Naruto could see the sky outside of the door. It was a long front entrance, and the dark sky was far from comforting, but he could see it. For the first time in a long time, the blonde Angel could see the sky. He could feel himself filled with elation at the thought of maybe catching a glimpse of stars. _

_"Hey, mister, what's your name?" he asked slowly as they were watching for lookouts on the entrance. _

_"Hyuuga Neji, Naruto," the man replied swiftly. "I am your Guardian."_

_"Oh," Naruto murmured, not really sure what else to say. _

_"The coast is clear, for now," Neji proceeded to inform the blonde. "Let us move while we still can."_

_Naruto nodded and stood up. Neji got up after him and they began to run towards the exit. _

_"Naruto, down!" Neji yelled, shoving Naruto to the ground as a crossbow bolt came hurtling through the air to strike Neji through the shoulder. The long-haired warrior swore heavily as he ripped the bolt out of his flesh. He had no time to check if it was poisoned or not as he hefted Naruto to his feet and ran on. _

_As they were running, more shots rang out, accompanied by shouts for back-up and more weaponry. Naruto had been scared, so very scared… but Neji was there. He trusted the man. He trusted him in a way that he had forgotten existed. _

Naruto sighed. He could remember up to that point with startling clarity, but after that, after _he_ had been hit in the stomach with one of those crossbow bolts, everything become blurry, seen through pained eyes. He couldn't recall how Neji got as hurt as he did… just that he did. He could clearly remembering limping through the doors, carrying Neji's close-to-unconscious body. He wasn't sure how he did it, just that it had happened.

Maybe the Kyuubi had helped him. Maybe Amatsu had.

He would never be sure.

The next clear memory was in Tsunade's clinic, where he was told that Neji had died protecting him. Naruto hadn't spoken to anyone for quite a while after that.

"Naruto?" Neji asked softly, tearing the boy from his musings.

"Neji…" Naruto bit out, throwing his arms around the boy in a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Neji smiled softly before hugging the smaller blonde back. "Perhaps we could talk," he offered diplomatically. Naruto nodded and led Neji into his room. The door was shut firmly behind them.

Sasuke stared at this entire exchange angrily. He didn't know why he was so angry, he just couldn't stop the jealous rage sweeping through him.

Wait… jealous?

No, he couldn't be jealous of… of that display that he just witnessed. He couldn't be jealous of how tightly Naruto had hugged the newcomer, how trusting he looked when he saw him.

Sasuke sighed heavily, wanting to slam his head into a hard surface. He was jealous. He really was.

It was okay. He could deal with that.

He had to deal with that.

But first, he had to get Neji the hell out of his rooms!

* * *

Naruto looked at Neji, so many questions running through his mind. He wanted to know so many things… he had only met Neji once. That was the irony of the situation. He had only met the man once, but he had utmost trust in him.

Like Sasuke.

Why was that?

**_Well, they are alike_**, the comforting, yet snark-filled voice of Amatsu spoke in his head.

_What do you mean? _

**_If you haven't figured it out, I can't tell you._**

Neji looked uncomfortably for a moment. He quickly schooled his features back to blankness. Training, even after three hundred years, never faltered.

"Naruto," Neji spoke softly. Naruto snapped his head in the long-haired man's direction. "Why are you on Earth?"

Naruto fidgeted slightly. "Got lost. I was trying to deliver a message. And I got lost," he replied quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Has Heaven changed so much that the Gates to Hell and Earth aren't guarded or large? Are there now accidental Gates?"

Naruto gripped his shirt tightly. "No. It hasn't," he replied.

"Then what, pray tell, are you _doing here!"_ the normally calm boy snapped angrily. Naruto flinched. How could he tell Neji the reason he was actually here?

"I… I…" he stammered, but never got past that actual letter.

Neji sighed when he noticed that Naruto wouldn't tell him. "Fine, just… why was I sent here then?"

"I… I'm mortal now," Naruto murmured. "I'm human… ish. I don't really understand it, but…"

There was a knock on the door.

Naruto moved over and opened it. Sasuke stood there. "We have to get up early tomorrow, dobe," the raven-haired teenager told him. "I would like it if your bodyguard man could go to Shikamaru and Kiba's apartment now."

Neji stared at this newcomer. "Why?" he asked. "My job is to protect Naruto. In order to do that, I must be near him at all times."

"Well, be near him when he's not in my apartment," Sasuke snapped back, glaring at the man. "Now, please, leave. I have work to do, and I have sleep to gain."

Neji looked at him suspiciously before nodding. He turned back to Naruto. "I shall see you tomorrow, perhaps you have a better answer for me then."

With that, he was gone.

Sasuke blew out a sigh. "Thank God," he grumbled.

"Do you have a problem with him?" Naruto asked uncertainly, looking at Sasuke in a confused manner.

The Uchiha shrugged. "I like my space," was all he said on the subject. He exited from Naruto's room and made his way to his own.

Naruto just stared after him, not knowing what to say_  
_

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner! _

So here's chapter 10. Beautiful, ain't it? Man, typing on word is really starting to piss me off right now. My spacing is really fucked up and I can't think of how to fix any of it.

Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it, at least. Well, parts of it. The ending was hard because I left it sitting for a week.


	12. Alliances

_Well, it's been a while since I've been able to write. The reason for this is mainly my novel. I've been putting so much effort into my novel that I've neglected everything else. Now that I'm writing the sequel to said novel, I'm neglecting even more things. The other reason is, as I've said on my profile and in other fics, I'm not particularly interested in Naruto anymore. However, I am interested in seeing where this fic is going. It's a rather interesting fic, and I'm trying to see what can be done with it. It will be slow updating, especially with my current job. I'm a tour guide, and I work about ten to fourteen hours a day, so I usually come home and add something to my novel or its sequel and then sleep, so… yeah. _

_Those are all my reasons for not continuing this sooner. Yay excuses. I would like to finish this fic as soon as possible, though. We'll just have to see what happens. _

_Oh, and all of you who remember the bonus fic that I was going to do. I found the first half of it! I may complete it. Jeez, I'm a horrible person. I haven't decided if I wanted to continue it. .> I am a bad man.  
_

_Well, enjoy chapter eleven. _

_Lots of Love for not completely Abandoning me, _

_Kyuubi-kun_

**Wish Upon a Lost Wing**

**Chapter 11: Allies**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Kaylee: How come you don't care where you're going?  
Book: 'Cause how you get there is the worthier part.

-_ Firefly_  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - 

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Sasuke couldn't figure out why his brain hut as much as it did. He had had a wonderful dream the night before. He couldn't remember a single piece of it, just the fact that he had been _happy_ and that was all that mattered.

He smiled, something that he tried not to do often. People might mistake him for actually giving a damn about anything they said if he smiled.

Yet here he was, at the dawn of another day of his now chaotic life, smiling at nothing.

He didn't want to stop smiling. Something about it this morning was just so freeing. It was probably related to his dream from the night before.

There were a few things that he could remember about his dream. One was loud, joyful laughter. The other was the hand held out to him, beckoning him to come close to someone.

He had accepted that hand.

Everything else about the dream was a blur, but Sasuke didn't care.

He was happy.

--

In the room next door, Naruto was waking up as well, pondering Sasuke and Neji. For some reason, Sasuke was becoming rather territorial about his place, and maybe even  
Naruto himself. That unnerved the blonde almost as much as it made him feel special. Something about Sasuke drew Naruto towards him.

He reminded Naruto of Neji, but he was completely different at the same time.

_Jeez, Naruto, you really are slow_, the taunting voice of Amatsu sounded in his head.

Naruto shrugged mentally. He had grown used to Amatsu being there. He welcomed his presence. Pushing the covers back, the former Angel alighted himself on the floor, looking out the window. The dawn was beautiful, painting the skies in pink and purple hues as the sun just barely peaked over the horizon. The fog was still clinging to the ground.

Naruto quickly got dressed. He wanted to go outside and see the fog, and hear the birds. He just wanted to be outside. So he ran out, staying close to the apartment.

"Wow," he said to himself as he watched the skies change colors. "It's pretty."

"Well, well, well, look at what we have hear," a voice sneered from behind him.

--

Sasuke felt something in the back of his mind tingling. It was a bad feeling that shivered up his spine, making him leap to his feet and running out of the apartment building in nothing but his pajama pants. He didn't care though. He didn't even know where he was going, he just knew that there was something wrong that he needed to fix.

He broke through the door to the building, staring at the scene before him.

There was Naruto, turned towards the redheaded demon that Tsunade had called Gaara and the siblings that Shikamaru had pointed out.

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't figure out what to do.

Quickly, he ran over to his charge.

The redhead turned to him. "Well, look what we have here," he growled, a scowl marring his face.

Sasuke could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The black-haired boy nodded diplomatically, not really knowing what else to do.

Naruto looked between Gaara and Sasuke fearfully. He was afraid of what could happen next. Even though Sasuke had showed some promise, Gaara was a trained Demon.

Whatever showed in this fight, the ending was going to be gruesome.

As Gaara advanced a little closer, Sasuke reached out and pulled Naruto behind him. He narrowed his eyes at the demon. Something in him was awakening, but he had no idea what it was.

He growled at the boy, eyes snapping with a hidden fire. "Leave," he ordered softly, his voice not giving any hint of weakness. He was confident, there was a new power rushing through him and he had no idea what it was.

He let it take over, though. He liked this feeling. Blue fire was pulsing all around him.

Naruto widened his eyes.

_What the hell is he doing?_ Amatsu yelled in his head. _Release the seal! Let me out! Tell him, Naruto._

However, the Angel was not in the state to do anything, and could only stare at the magnificent blue fire. It swirled around Sasuke, adding a shield that surprised even the Demon Gaara.

"You… _what are you, human?"_ the redhead screamed.

Sasuke smirked, an ice cold look in his eyes. "Me? I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he snapped before extending his hand. The fire wrapped around his arm and flew at Gaara, knocking the redhead off his feet.

Sasuke's smirk turned into a grin of such terrifying sadistic pleasure that Naruto had to shrink back away from his protector.

_What's going on? What's happening?_ Naruto frantically asked the voices in his head.

_I've really no idea,_ Amatsu conceded. _That kid is… well… he's different, y'know?_

There was a third rumbling voice that chuckled in his head. _**That kid is interesting**_, the Kyuubi no Kitsune said. _**Keep him around, kids, he amuses me.**_

_Hi Kyuubi, _Amatsu said in a joyful voice.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi _nod_ in his stomach. _**Good day to you as well, little Demon. And you Angel. This intrigues me much more than I would have hoped. **_

_I'm confused, aren't you supposed to be evil?_ Naruto asked.

_**Just because I was once the King of Demons does not make me entirely evil. Have I not always protected you when that Gaara boy tried to kill you? Have I not always given you interesting dreams when you feel the need to confront an issue? **_

Naruto mentally bit his lip. _Those dreams were nightmares. Why didn't you just be a good mentor or something? Why the dreams of torture and death and self-worth and self-esteem and… all of that. _

_**I was bored.**_

Amatsu howled with laughter.

_I'm ignoring you both right now. _Naruto turned his attention back to the battle.

Gaara had been flung back by the fire and Sasuke was advancing on him, grinning maniacally.

"I do not think it will be very good for you if you do not tell me exactly _why_ you seem to be following us," the Uchiha sneered as he stood over the fallen Demon.

Gaara looked up at the human impassively. This boy… _what was he?_ With that power, he was more than a Guardian, yet he was human, so there was no way he was Angel or Demon.

Slowly, the redhead stood, but did not make any move to attack. He had been beaten, and while that angered him, he realized that against this human there was no way that he could win. That power… he did not know what it was and until he did, he was at a disadvantage.

"I wanted to know," he answered Sasuke's order calmly.

"Know what?" Naruto asked fearfully, peeking over his protector's shoulder.

Gaara looked at him, no malice in his face as Naruto was accustomed to seeing. "You. Him. Everything. You're a mere messenger Angel. I want to know… _why_ everyone in Hell seems to want to get you."

He paused, looking thoughtful.

"There's some things happening in Hell, things that I cannot explain. Information has been leaked to spies that is not entirely true, and we're on the brink of war. Normally I wouldn't mind that. Demons love war. I love war," he explained. "But this war has a _wrong_ feeling to it. You are the largest group of supernatural creatures on Earth, and therefore, we…" He pointed to his siblings who had been there, silent the entire time. "We figured that you might hold the answers."

There was silence for a few moments before someone said, "Ahh… so troublesome."

The entire group whirled to see Kiba and Shikamaru sitting a good distance away. Of course, it had been the latter that had spoken. The two wandered over to the others. Akamaru was perched happily on Kiba's head.

"Someone's been doing this in Heaven too, so we have no more answers than you do," Shikamaru said with a small yawn. He looked at the trio, obviously thinking. He was crouched, his fingers touching in an oval shape. His eyes were closed and he was trying to think.

Having allies in the Demon world could provide useful information, if they were sincere. Since there were no Kages around, then he would have to make the final decision as the highest ranking person here.

"If you can be _completely_ honest with us, and if everyone agrees, an alliance may not be such a foolish idea," he finally spoke.

Gaara nodded. "I will swear, upon the name of the greatest Demon of all time that I will be forthcoming with all information, if you would allow me to help protect the one that I swear by."

Shikamaru looked at Sasuke. He looked confused for a second before dawning came to him. Now he looked positively livid.

"No!" he growled out, turning to face Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed. This was complicated. Sasuke was still the unknown factor that could decide everything and Shikamaru had no idea what to do with him. He sighed. It would be better to give in to Gaara's demands. They would have information about Hell, another protector on Naruto and if Gaara was untrue to his oath, then the Kyuubi himself would actually do something about it.

Oaths were not to be broken. Even among Demons. Especially oaths of fealty.

"I accept your demands, though you may want to figure out a way to set up the apartment on the other side of Naruto and Sasuke's room. Kiba and I have another guest in our room so we cannot fit you, and Sasuke doesn't want anyone else in his rooms."

Gaara nodded.

"Now swear," Shikamaru demanded softly.

Gaara nodded once again.

"I swear on the name of the Kyuubi no Kitsune to be truthful and honest about all that goes on in the Demon world, as well as to protect the holder of the Kyuubi no Kitsune with my life. My siblings, Temari and Kankarou take this oath as well, though I speak for them." He bit his thumb so hard that it bled and held it out. "On my blood, the blood of Sabuka no Gaara, this I swear."

Shikamaru nodded gravely. He bit his own thumb as held it out to Gaara, touching the blood together. "I, Nara Shikamaru, do so accept your oath and will be honest to you about Heaven's affairs, so long as they do pertain to this that we are working on. I offer, in return for your honest and protection, an oath of alliance until the point in which such an alliance is no longer needed, if that should ever happen. I speak for Uchiha Sasuke." The boy started when he heard that and was about to say something when Kiba slammed his hand onto the boy's mouth and shook his head. One _never_ interrupted an oath.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The blonde nodded his consent.

There was a pause before Shikamaru realized that he would have to reveal the name of his guest. "And Hyuuga Neji."

Gaara's eyes widened at the name, but he stayed silent, knowing the penalty for breaking an oath-bonding could be death if the bonders and the bond so wished it. It was hard to tell, because the blood oath was not done often, but he knew that with their history, it was needed here. He could feel the magic all around him, swirling and wrapping around them so that they could not break it without penalty.

As the leader of this group, I do so deem that should any one of us break our vow _without good reason decided by all_, may his blood boil within his veins until he dies."

_Good one,_ Amatsu commented. _Very good, Shikamaru. I'm starting to like that guy._

_**Shh**_, the Kyuubi growled. _**I'm listening**_. _**This proves interesting.**_

_Fine,_ the younger Demon grumbled. _You do that. I'm taking a nap._

With that said, Naruto felt the presence of Amatsu fade into his subconscious. He shrugged as he watched the magic pulse and grow, before ultimately dieing down, waiting for Gaara to either accept or decline the punishment.

Gaara looked straight at Naruto as he said, "I accept."

Wind blew, howling around them, before stopping suddenly and leaving them in a heavy silence.

Shikamaru and Gaara disengaged their thumbs and Kiba took his hand off Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke glared at him, his own abilities growing again.

They heightened around him, spiraling towards the skies. Demons and Angels alike stepped back from the man. Something was happening.

Shikamaru, deciding that this had gone on long enough, tried to step closer, but ended up being thrown back into Kiba by the energy.

Gaara stared. This was worse than when Sasuke had thrown him a few minutes before.

_**This is not good**_, Kyuubi told Naruto quietly. _**This is not good at all**_.

Naruto squared his shoulders. _Kyuubi, you're gonna have to help me here._

_**What are you doing?**_

_I'm stopping this._

Kyuubi sighed and relented, allowing his powers to be released just a little bit, controlled by the blond. _**He's getting stronger. Soon, he'll realize the truth about Amatsu**_, the fox thought to himself. Naruto didn't hear him as he manipulated the red chakra in order to create a temporary shield around him. The blue fire lashed out at him as Sasuke's temper was released.

The Uchiha turned to Naruto, his eyes narrowed and cold. He didn't see anything. They were blank. All he could feel was anger.

Naruto noticed this, but walked closer all the same. He reached the boy. "Sasuke?" he said fearfully, not liking the feeling of being this close to the uncontrolled energy, even with Kyuubi's shield around him.

The boy did say a word back to him, just stared at him with those black eyes. Naruto reached out, touching his hands to Sasuke's cheeks. He was going completely on instinct, which was new for him. He rarely did anything by himself, without Amatsu. But something told him, that this couldn't be done _with_ Amatsu.

"Sasuke, come on," he whispered, drawing the other boy's face down towards his. "Come on, it's time to go home."

"Naruto?" the boy asked, feeling Sasuke's arms wrap around him. The blonde nodded. Their faces were only a little bit apart. "Naruto, I'm…"

Before Sasuke could continue with his apology, Naruto brought the boy's head closer and kissed him. It was soft, and chaste, but unlike before – _this_ was a real kiss.

Naruto could hear the Kyuubi purr in the back of his mind as he closed his eyes. The deadly power that surrounding the two of them had vanished and all Sasuke cared about was the blonde Angel in front of him.

He slowly coaxed Naruto's mouth open and began to explore every inch of his mouth with his tongue. Sasuke had never known that he had been attracted to men before – or maybe it was just because he was attracted to _Naruto_.

There was just something about this boy that confused Sasuke, but he always wanted to know more about the boy. He wanted to know everything about him, and spend his life with him.

He just wanted Naruto to be happy. _I think I can do that_, the boy thought to himself as he drew back from the blonde, still keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the boy.

_Wow_, Naruto thought as he leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder, his own arms gripping Sasuke so that he could stay standing.

_That was… nice. _

The Kyuubi laughed. _**You really are interesting. **_

Naruto was afraid of what that meant.

-------------------------

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner! _

_Well, that's Chapter Eleven. Don't worry. Chapter 12 should be out soon. I've got half of it written now. I'm trying to stay on top of everything for at least a little bit. Also, a couple of things. I didn't want Kyuubi staying evil. So he's just twisted. Same for Gaara. _

_Especially when I have plans… much bigger plans. Plans that people like Mumma will probably kill me for. MWA! _


	13. Changes

_So yeah, I was looking back over this chapter and realizing how much like Chrono Crusade the first part is. Aaaaand… I can't really find myself to care. Yep. _

_I also absolutely hate this chapter. A lot. This is too much TELLING a story rather than showing it. And I hate doing that, but it's the only thing that fits at the moment. Bad chapter. I kill you with my brain. _

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing  
Chapter 12: Changes**

Still 'round the corner there may wait  
A new road or a secret gate  
And though I oft have passed them by  
A day will come at last when I  
Shall take the hidden paths that run  
West of the Moon, East of the Sun

J. R. R. Tolkien, _Return of the King_

The other supernatural beings just stared at the two. Sasuke's power was gone, taken back into the recesses of wherever it came from, and he seemed quite content to just hold the blonde. The Angel wasn't fighting the embrace either. He was perfectly happy, if the goofy smile on his face was anything to go by.

_Well, that's something I didn't think of,_ Shikamaru thought. He had a splitting headache from Sasuke's energy, which worried him. So far, it seemed like Naruto could keep him in check, but he wasn't entirely sure how that worked out in the end. He nearly groaned at the thought of telling Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kakashi about this newest development.

_Everything's so troublesome_, he muttered in his mind.

Gaara stood shocked. He could hardly contain his surprise. He would definitely have to look into the matter of Uchiha Sasuke, and whether he was of any relation to Uchiha Itachi. He looked up and saw angry gray skies, of such that he had not seen in many years.

"We need to move, quickly," he murmured. "Inside. Now."

Shikamaru looked at him, trusting his judgment. "Come on, everyone, into the building."

The skies boomed, crackling with thunder and lightning. Everyone stood frozen for half a second as they looked up at the skies, before rushing inside. The skies broke a second later, and fiery rain fell, burning everything that it hit.

"What the hell was that!" Kiba yelped, turning to Gaara as he saw the grass set ablaze.

Gaara sighed. "_That_-" He pointed to the rain. "-is something you do not _ever_ want to be caught up in."

"Who sent it, though?" Shikamaru pondered aloud.

Gaara shrugged. "It could be any one of the higher ranks in Heaven or Hell. It's a common spell once you reach the high levels."

"Hell or… Heaven?" Kiba asked.

Temari decided to speak for the first time. "Yes," she answered, stiffly. "We have no idea which side just tried to kill us."

"Kill? Surely…"

"No. Immortal bodies or not," she snapped at Shikamaru. "We all could have died if even one drop of that rain had touched us. It burns you up from the inside, not allowing you any quarter."

Shikamaru gritted his teeth. This was getting a bit more complicated than he would have liked.

Someone was not just after Naruto – they would kill all of them, Demon, Angel and Human in order to get to him.

Just as suddenly as the fire-rain had started, it stopped. Shikamaru didn't trust going outside.

Naruto was huddled in Sasuke's arms. He knew what was happening. He could feel exactly who had sent that rain, and he didn't like it one bit.

He couldn't go back. He wouldn't go back. Going back meant… leaving Sasuke. Going back meant leaving Shikamaru and Kiba.

Going back meant not having a good chance of coming out once again. He didn't want to go back.

But he didn't want all of them to be killed just because he couldn't stand going back.

"I don't understand!" he wailed suddenly. "What makes _me_ so special!"

Sasuke merely hugged him tighter, not knowing if there was anything he could say. The others were speechless as well, not knowing the answer.

Just then, Neji came down the stairs, his white eyes searching frantically for Naruto. "What are you doing to him!" he demanded of the Uchiha when he saw where Naruto was.

"Hugging him," Sasuke deadpanned. It was rather obvious what he was doing, so the question was pointless anyway.

It was then that Neji noticed the Demons. He immediately fell back into a fighting stance, narrowing his eyes.

"What are _you_ doing?"

Shikamaru sighed. Great. More explanations. He could really curse the Kages at this moment for giving him this job. Instead, he said, "We are blood-bonded now," he explained. "Gaara and I are, and there was an oath that included all of us." He recited the words of the oath.

Neji nearly growled in his throat. "You dare make a blood-oath without all of us present!"

Shikamaru drew himself up to his full height. Neji was a good guy. He had helped Naruto on countless times, but Shikamaru was the leader here, not Neji, so he had to show the other that he was in fact in charge. He walked over to Neji.

"I do dare, as leader," he told the boy quietly. "If you have anything against my leadership, I suggest you bring it up with the Kages and not with me. I am merely doing what is best for Naruto – and for Heaven. Having Demons on our side could give us valuable information about the upcoming war. I will _not_ let you and your pride ruin that, do you understand?"

Neji nodded, though one could tell that he was still angry.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was humming as he sat on the couch when there was a knock on the door to his and Sasuke's rooms. He bounced up and answered it. There stood Gaara, his long time rival.

"May I come in?" the Demon asked. Naruto nodded, stepping aside to allow the redhead to enter. He didn't understand why the Demon was here though.

_**Just listen to him, kid**_, the calming voice of Kyuubi told him. _**Something tells me this might be worth it**_.

"Naruto, you intrigue me," Gaara told him.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Huh?"

"How can you smile?" the boy asked stoically.

"Huh?"

Gaara took a deep breath. He did not want to say what was next, but he was too curious to keep quiet. "You have been shunned, left alone, unloved. Yet you smile. How do you smile?"

Naruto shrugged. That was a strange question coming from the redhead. "Cuz it's better than crying _all_ the time," the blonde replied. "If I wanted to cry all the time, then life just wouldn't be worth living. People… Humans, Angels, Demons… they don't understand what they can't explain and then they fear it. Or at least, that's what Kyuubi has told me." He touched his stomach softly. "I don't know if its true, but it would make sense, considering how much I've been… well… hated in Heaven. It's true that I'm alone… or was alone… but I'm not alone anymore, so that's a reason to smile." He shrugged. "I guess it's 'cause I just… do it."

Gaara nodded.

"Why do you ask?" the blonde wanted to know.

The Demon looked at him for a long moment. "Because I know what loneliness feels like," he responded softly.

Naruto grinned at him. "Makes us two peas in a pod, don't it?"

"Peas in a pod?" Gaara repeated. He blinked for a moment before he recognized the phrase vaguely. "Oh, one of those human sayings."

Naruto grinned. "Yup. I've been learning a lot here. So I'm happy."

Gaara smiled. It was the first time that Naruto had ever seen it. "Good," he whispered. "I'm glad that you're happy."

* * *

Days passed with nothing happening. The Demons and Angels had gotten along well, each of them having the same schedule and eventually pushed past their prejudices so that they could get along better. The only one who seemed to be having a problem was Neji. Still, no one really cared for that, since it was amusing to watch Neji go on about how he believed that everyone would be struck by Fate's lightning for aligning them all with Demons. 

Naruto had actually found a strange and reliable friend in Gaara, of all people. After their years of long rivalry, they had come to a solid friendship. Of course, there was still a bit of the rivalry there.

Another strange thing was happening. Sasuke was the first to notice it. Sometimes, Naruto acted a bit more like Amatsu. In fact, according to Naruto, he had not heard from Amatsu since the blood-bonding between Shikamaru and Gaara.

"That worries me, just a little bit," Sasuke said, looking down at the pocketwatch that he had been granted. He wondered if he should call Amatsu out, allowing him a proper chance to talk to him, but he didn't want to risk it. Instead, he had placed the pocketwatch in his pocket and gone off to see what the others were up to.

Gaara was sitting on the roof, with a wooden flute. Sasuke was surprised to see that Gaara could actually play it. He was tuning out soft melodies, not wanting to disturb anyone. Sasuke figured it was time that they two of them had a talk about things. The Uchiha climbed swiftly up to the roof and sat beside the redhead. Gaara stopped playing mid-note and looked over at the black-haired boy.

"Yes?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged. He had wanted to talk to Gaara, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was about.

Gaara shrugged as well and continued playing the flute.

Not another word was spoken.

It became a daily activity and a way for the two to understand each other. Every day, one could see the two of them sitting on the roof. Sasuke, looking out at the distance and sometimes even humming along with the random tunes on Gaara's flute.

It was comforting to them both. They didn't need to talk to get along; they just needed to be there to understand.

* * *

While Gaara had become fast friends with Naruto and even Sasuke to a point, Temari and Kankarou had become friends with Shikamaru and Kiba.

Temari was nearly as smart as the senior Scout and would tell him exactly how she felt. Even though he always complained that women were too bothersome, he found that he enjoyed the spunky Demon's presence more and more with each passing day.

"You're too quiet!" Temari complained one day. "Talk more, dammit."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Too bothersome."

Temari stomped over to him, smashing him on the head with one of the pillows she had retrieved from the couch. "Everything is bothersome!" she growled, plopping on the couch next to him. "Don't you say anything else?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but chose not to respond. It was too bothersome after all.

Temari nearly screamed in her frustration. However, even though the boy annoyed her more often than not, she still found him fun to be around.

Kiba and Kankarou had butted heads at first. Both had believed themselves to be the best and the other one just couldn't compete. They had many competitions including (but not limited to) Rock, Paper, Scissors; Arm-wrestling; Bloody Knuckles; Poker; Blackjack; Running; Flying; etc.

Still, even though they had both lost and won, neither would admit that the other was better. Through their competitive natures, they found a good friend.

* * *

It was a strange set up that the group had, but it was a strong one as well. The only one out of sorts about it all was Neji. He had every reason to be, as he only remembered how things had been three hundred years ago.

Gaara did his best to avoid the Guardian, but the Hyuuga was making it rather hard for him. The two had been in fist fights twice. Shikamaru had reluctantly broken them up. Getting in between them hadn't been easy and Shikamaru did have bruises from doing it.

It was during one of these arguments that Sasuke looked at how withdrawn Naruto became whenever he saw anyone in the small boarding house on edge with each other.

"What's up?" he asked once, during the second fight between Neji and Gaara. The two looked as if they were about ready to swing punches at each other.

Naruto turned to him and smiled in that strange way of his. Sasuke sighed. He knew that the boy was just trying to get out of answering him. Over the past several days, he had become very in tune with the blonde's moods, well, as much as he could be. He had taken to noticing the signs of how Naruto felt. Sometimes, the Angel would go completely blank and he wouldn't be able to fathom anything behind those startling blue eyes. That happened rarely though, but it was happening now.

"What else?" Naruto asked, waving a hand at the two that were arguing loudly.

Sasuke turned to Gaara and Neji, sighing almost dramatically. Those two never cut it out.

"Come on," Sasuke said, standing up and reaching his hand out to Naruto.

"Where are we going?" the blonde wanted to know.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'll show you when we get there, how's that?"

The Angel snickered at the answer. Sasuke could be strange sometimes, but he was… Sssuke. And that's all that mattered. He shook his head as he took the black-haired boy's hand. He was getting sappy. He wondered why.

_It's because you're an idiot_, the voice of Amatsu told him.

_**Shut up, little demon**_¸ Kyuubi snapped. _**I was enjoying the show.**_

_Both of you quiet! I'm not your toy._

There was a moment of silence and Naruto thought that they had actually listened to him when he began to hear them howl with laughter.

He sighed, not wanting to deal with them. Sasuke noticed the sigh. "Anything wrong?"

Naruto shook his head quickly. "No," he said softly. "Just… there."

Sasuke had to raise an eyebrow at the answer. He didn't really know what Naruto meant, but he didn't think it was any of his business at the same time. He knew that Naruto would tell him if it was anything serious. Or he hoped the blonde would.

Instead, Sasuke focused on the task at hand, leading the boy out to the back of the house. There was a lovely garden there (it belonged to the landlord) and in the center was a worn stone bench.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Naruto asked incredulously. He had seen it a hundred times from the window.

Sasuke shrugged. "You just seemed like you needed a quiet place to relax and not hear all of the fighting," he replied as he took a seat.

The blonde hesitated before sitting next to his friend and leaning his head on the boy's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.

Sasuke nodded.

The two sat comfortably for several minutes before Sasuke's head snapped up. Something felt wrong here. Something was off – it was… _evil_.

He wrapped an arm possessively around the blonde, who looked up at him in worry.

"Come on, we need to make it back to the house," he murmured. Naruto looked puzzled, but nodded nonetheless.

The two stood and Sasuke held Naruto by his side, casting glances warily around the garden. Nothing came out, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was _wrong_.

The two made their way upstairs, where things had thankfully calmed down. Gaara looked up as they entered.

"You look frazzled," he said softly, eyes boring into Sasuke's.

Sasuke nodded. "I think we're being watched," he explained. Everyone looked up at him in wonder.

"What?" Temari said.

"Just what I said. We're being watched."

Neji looked at him coldly. "How would a _human_ know of these things? How would you feel something like that!" he growled.

Sasuke was about to open his mouth and snap back at the boy, but Temari beat him.

"I think we've already established that whatever he is, it certainly _isn't_ a human."

Neji looked like he was about to comment on that, when Shikamaru whistled slowly.

"Focus. It's too bothersome elsewise," he said. He turned back to the Uchiha. "You sure?"

"Positive. Someone's gotten smarter. They aren't all out attacking us anymore… they're learning us first."

The others were quiet as they allowed this to sink in. Naruto looked around at all of them.

He wondered yet again why these people were here. They were risking their lives on his behalf and he wasn't entirely comfortable with that.

Sasuke looked down at his charge. The boy was lost in thought again, and from the downcast look – it wasn't into happy thoughts. He hugged the boy close and planted a soft kiss on his head.

"Everything will be all right," he whispered. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Naruto could only nod as Sasuke dragged him off. As the Uchiha tried to get him to go into his own room, the Angel stopped him. "Is… is it okay… if I… sleep with you tonight?"

Sasuke looked down at him, eyes wide.

From the looked of it, everyone else was surprised by this as well. Gaara had raised an eyebrow, Shikamaru sighed, Kiba grinned maniacally, Neji was red with fury, Kankarou was smirking and Temari was waving at them with an encouraging wink.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his… friends? They were insane. "Fine," he grumbled. "But only for tonight."

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, I got better towards the end, but I can honestly say the middle sucked and the beginning sucked. From here on out, I'm going to be picking up speed. This was just a transition chapter and I really hate doing those, which is why I pulled in a bit of important information. _

_Just be prepared for things to get a lot faster from now on. I plan on having this fic completed by Chapter Twenty. _

_However, at the same time, expect slow updates. College starts again tomorrow and now I'm working a lot on the sequel to the novel I mentioned in Chapter 11. Inspiration sucks. _

_Hope you enjoyed this, and until next time. _


	14. Color

_This chapter is the turning point though. From here on in, its going to get a lot darker and a lot bloodier. Which is fun for me, but not so fun for my characters. I can assure you of that. I like this chapter, where it stands at the moment – where it is right now. It isn't betaed, but I enjoy it. It's now four in the morning, and I should probably get me some sleep so that I might be able to write a little bit more tomorrow. Originally, a major event was supposed to happen in this chapter, but because of new ideas, I've put that idea off for a later date. _

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing  
Chapter 13: Color**

----

"There is color in the black and white if you really look."  
(According to Goldman)

----

Naruto followed Sasuke into the Uchiha's room, shaking a little bit from nervousness. He wasn't even sure why he was nervous, he just was and it wasn't helping that Sasuke kept _staring_ at him like that. It really wasn't fair at all.

"Yes?" he asked softly, trying to figure out what the other boy was thinking.

Sasuke merely shrugged. "Nothing."

"Y-You can tell me anything, just so you know! Anything! I'll… I'll listen."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this request. What was Naruto going on about now? He really didn't know. The Angel had just burst into his life and then… all of this stuff happened and he was left confused, slightly angered and mostly, lost. He didn't know where he was going anymore. Before, it was simple. Beat Itachi, make money, get married, have kids, die.

Now this blonde had destroyed everything. Beating Itachi was still a large precedent, but somehow, Sasuke had figured out that it came second to protecting this strange blonde. That angered him slightly. What right did Naruto have to come into his life and fuck everything up? What right did_Sasuke_ have to care about this Angel?

The boy sat on his bed, staring into space, completely forgetting that the other was there until Naruto hesitantly drew nearer and stood in front of him. Sasuke looked up at those brilliant blue eyes.

"You confuse things," he whispered, so low that Naruto wasn't sure that he caught it.

"What?"

"You confuse things," Sasuke repeated, a bit louder this time.

"How?" the blonde wanted to know. It was a good question after all, and as the object of confusion, he figured that he should know so that he could be less confusing.

"You…" Sasuke began. "You distract me from my goals. You make everything… happier. I was doing well enough without you in my life. I was! And then you show up and everything gets turned backwards and upside down and I don't know where I'm standing anymore and _its all your fault_."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, surprised by the boy's honesty. "W-What? I-I didn't mean to."

"Of course you didn't mean to, and that's the problem. If you had meant to, then it could be stopped, but since you _didn't_ mean to, you don't realize what you're doing to my head… to _me_."

"I… I could try to change," the ex-Angel whispered.

Sasuke reached forward, unexpectedly circling his arm's around the slimmer boy's waist. He leaned his head into the boy's stomach and sighed. "No, don't change… you are you, and nothing I say should change you from that."

They stood like that for a moment or two before Sasuke finally pulled back. "Come on, then," he spoke, a tinge of red coloring his cheeks. He pulled down the covers of his bed and got underneath them. "Take off your shoes. Let's get to bed."

Naruto nodded, speechless. He quickly removed his shoes and crawled under the covers that Sasuke was holding up for him.

It was a long while before either of them slept.

* * *

Naruto woke up the next morning, snuggled into Sasuke's side with the Uchiha's arm draped over his waist, making sure that he stayed there. The blonde allowed a smile to come to his face as he reached up, touching the sleeping human's face softly. Sasuke was softer than Naruto imagined… and he looked much more at peace now that he was asleep. The blonde smiled, leaning into the warm embrace. He didn't know what he was feeling. It was something that warmed him from the insides out, setting himself on fire.

It was comforting at the same time, warm and comforting. He bit his lip, confused.

_**Little one, do you not know what is happening to you?**_ The voice of the Kyuubi purred within him.

_What are you talking about?_ Naruto asked, his mental voice quivering with a little bit of fear. Even though he and Kyuubi had come to an understanding of sorts, he was still wary around the Demon. He didn't know how to take the fact the Kyuubi was not as evil as he always seemed to be, but was more manipulative than anything Naruto had ever known.

_**You are a strange one, but with a past that you have had, it is no wonder that you do not recognize this.**_

_Should I?_

_**You should. I can say that you will want to stay by this one's side. He will protect you – all of you. **_

_Why would he do that?_

_**Because he probably gets the same warm feeling that you do. **_

_He does? Does that mean anything? _

The Kyuubi laughed within him. _**It means a great deal of things, Little One. **_

_I don't understand you. _

_**Nor should you. Not at this point in time.**_

_And you aren't helping me understand? _

There was a small pause before Kyuubi said, _**I am helping as much as I can. You will understand a great more soon, and soon the watch that Amatsu gave to your friend will not be needed. **_

_Why not?_

_**Little One, you ask questions like any other breathes air. **_

_Well you speak in riddles too much. If you said things plainly, then I wouldn't have to ask questions. _

_**This is all I will say, then. You will no longer need the pocketwatch because Amatsu will no longer be a separate entity. You will reunite, as you were before Uchiha Itachi forced you apart. You were not meant to be, and I will do all in my power to ensure that you are together again. **_

_Why do this for me?_

There was a pause while Kyuubi thought over his answer. Naruto waited with bated breath in order to hear what the old Demon had to say for himself. _**I have said all that needs to be said. I must rest now. **_

With that said, the presence of the Demon King retreated to the back of his mind. Naruto allowed a smile to grace his lips. He could vaguely remember times when he was not so… fragile.

_If I and Amatsu were to rejoin then that means… that means that Sasuke won't need to protect us anymore. We could protect him. _He raised his hand again, tracing the line of Sasuke's cheekbone. _He won't have to get hurt anymore._ _Nobody will be able to get hurt anymore. _

Suddenly, the raven-haired boy groaned, startling Naruto. The arm around the blonde's waist tightened causing a blush to crawl up the boy's neck. He was frozen in position, his hand still on his friend's cheek as those black depths opened slowly, hazed over by the dreariness of morning.

"G-G-G-Good morning," the Angel stuttered out, eyes wide with fear at being caught in this position.

"Morning," the boy answered, pressing his forehead into Naruto's. Without warning of any kind, the black-haired boy tilted his head ever so slightly and descended upon the pink lips of his bedmate to steal a morning kiss.

Naruto's blush rose even higher at the action, tinting his entire face a bright red. It wasn't a long kiss, but there was no denying the feelings that were transferred between the two by the physical contact of their mouths.

Slowly, Sasuke drew back, blinking back the haze of sleep. It was nice to wake up next to someone. He had never really done it before, so he had never realized what he was missing out on. Still, he couldn't become too attached. He couldn't… he still had to do things… like defeat Itachi.

He had to defeat Itachi.

Slowly drawing away from the bodyheat and warm feeling that the Angel had to offer, Sasuke sat up. The blonde looked up at him through large blue eyes, wondering why he was moving so soon. It was more comfortable when they were eye-level.

Sasuke, on the other hand, tried not to look at the other man in his bed. He was enjoying the body being there far too much. He needed to get a hold of himself once again.

"Get up, Uzumaki!" Sasuke snapped. "We have class soon."

Naruto sighed. Was that all Sasuke thought about? Class? He felt something in his chest – a tightening that nearly hurt and left him breathless. What was this feeling?

_You really are dumb, _the chipper voice of Amatsu rang out through his mind.

_I… I can't help it. _

_I overheard Kyuu's plan. Seems to have some merit in it. _

_Do you… do you think it will work? _

Amatsu paused and Naruto could almost visualize the Demon thinking before saying,_Well, it was possible to split us up, so it has to be possible to put us back together again. _

_I suppose. _

The Demon mentally shook his head. His Angelic counterpart could be quite tiring with his pessimism, but Amatsu could see Sasuke's influence on Naruto. It wouldn't be long until the two were ready to realign themselves and become what they once were – the most feared prankster in all of Heaven.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, making the blond jump into a sitting position, looking around wildly.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"Class, get ready."

Naruto sighed softly as he got out from beneath the blankets of Sasuke's bed. He looked at it longingly for a few minutes before retreating back to his own room.

* * *

Class was a long affair. The Angels had taken their normal seating in the back, whilst the Demons sat in the front. Naruto looked at the back of Temari and Kankarou's heads. He briefly wondered where Gaara was. Turning to his right, he saw that Sasuke was looking very intently at Tsunade, ignoring any notice the blonde tried to give that he wanted to talk to Sasuke.

Disheartened, the blonde sat back in his chair, trying to not cry.

_Naruto? Are you all right?_ Amatsu asked from within his mind.

_I… he… I don't know. _

_Start at the beginning, mate. Ain't nothing better than you can do but that. _

_He… he kissed me this morning. _

_Congratulations! I knew ya two were good…_

_No, he's… he's ignoring me now. Amatsu… why does it hurt? _

_Oh, jeez, you really are clueless. During lunch, I'm coming out. Tell Sasuke. _

_How can I tell him when he won't talk to me? _

_Figure out a way. This is going too far. _

_I… okay. _

_Good boy. Write him a note. I don't think the old lady will begrudge you a note to your caretaker. _

_D-Don't call him that. _

_Why not? It's true._

_I… It doesn't sound right._

_Whatever, just write the note. You might as well listen to what Tsunade's saying as well, otherwise she'll get angry. _

_O…okay._

_Well, wake me up when ya go to lunch. _

_I will_, Naruto promised. He looked down at the notebook that lay unopened on his desk. First thing to do was to get Sasuke's attention – giving him the note that would allow Sasuke to know that Amatsu needed to speak with him. He quickly scribbled out a note outlining the fact that his Demon half needed to speak with Sasuke and that this would happen at lunchtime. Not knowing what else to do, Naruto placed it on Sasuke's desk.

At first, the raven-haired boy barely spared it a glance, too busy taking notes that he was sure the Hokage would include on their next test. After finishing a few more lines, he finally looked at the piece of folded paper with his name on it. Slowly, with a heavy sigh, he put down the pen he was holding and picked up the note, unfolding it.

He didn't look at Naruto, who was openly staring at him, but gave a slight nod, indicating that he would agree to the terms.

* * *

The break after their first class, which was what they had designated "lunch break" for the most part, finally arrived. Sasuke and Naruto left the others, going to a secluded part of the campus, where Sasuke finally turned and looked at Naruto for the first time since they had woken up.

"So… Amatsu wants to talk with me?" he asked softly.

Naruto nodded, uncertain.

Slowly, Sasuke took the pocketwatch out of his coat pocket, where he always kept it and flipped it open, turning it on in the precise way that Amatsu had taught him when he first made it.

The change was almost immediate. The eyes, once as blue as the summer sky, now were a shade darker, with red rising from the pupils. The incisors of the teeth grew into sharp fangs. His hair became courser, now falling in shaggy locks.

"Was there a reason you wanted to speak me?" Sasuke growled, not looking at all amused by the fact that he had to be called out here during the time that he normally nourished himself and prepared for his later classes.

"Yes, I want you to stop acting like an idiot," Amatsu said without hesitation.

"What?"

"Stop acting moronic, mate. Seriously. You got the kid all confused – he doesn't know this shit. He doesn't get it and its messing him up. In a few days, Kyuubi will be ready to right things, but until then, we're vulnerable and having you fuck him all up gives us nothing more than trouble."

Sasuke looked puzzled. "Fuck him all up? Right things? What are you talking about?"

Amatsu sighed. This wasn't going to be fun to explain. "Look, the kid ain't listening right now. He's sleeping right now, so I'm gonna be honest with ya. Do you like him or don't you?"

Sasuke was taken aback. He didn't understand what this had to do with anything. "He's an okay –"

"Do not play coy with me, Sasuke. I'm being serious, for once. And I need to know. If you like him, blessing's to you both, but if you do not, he'll be destroyed by this. You act like you like him one minute, and then you're completely ignoring him the next. There has to be some method to it, don't you think?"

"Method?"

"Yes, method. Now tell me the truth. The kid won't hear it, so you can keep it all to yourself, though I don't know how that would help any."

"I like no one. They are just useful for me."

Amatsu's eyes hardened before he smacked Sasuke hard across the face. "Do. Not. Mock. Me," he snarled, eyes growing redder as his voice deepened. Sasuke felt a beastly power rise within him, fueled by the cornered feeling he felt with the way Amatsu stared at him.

"I am _not_ mocking you!" the college student yelled. "For the love of God, just… I'm not. He's a good guy. Good enough that he deserves much better than me. I still got my own life to deal with and protecting a kid will just get in the way. It's better if you… all of you just left me alone. If I have to… I will… I will ignore you to complete my goals."

Amatsu chuckled, the anger in his eyes and stance leaving him. "You like him, yet you have your goals to complete and we cannot come in the way of them, is that correct?"

Sasuke nodded uncertainly. "Something like that."

"Then do not be afraid," the blonde countered with a sly smirk.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He bristled slightly at the word 'afraid' but did not make note of it. "Oh?"

"Kyuu is working on a way to reunite that which has been divided."

Sasuke frowned. "That which has been divided?"

Amatsu nodded. "Yes. Naruto and I were once the same person, under the name of Naruto. During our time in Hell, a… a man we knew divided us, split us in half. It was his… his goal to make Naruto weaker, to make it so that Kyuu would be easier to take from him. He did not count on me becoming stronger because Naruto was weaker…"

"Who was this man?" Sasuke asked curiously.

Amatsu frowned. "I cannot tell you that."

Sasuke's hands closed into fists. "Why!" he shouted, unable to contain it. "You ask me to be truthful, to protect Naruto and yourself, but then you… you aren't honest with me! What kind of relationship is that… what's that to base anything on, anything that may happen – should I ever deem it so?"

Amatsu shrugged. "Because our enemy knows you well, and we do not wish for you to become… hellbent on destroying him before the time is right."

Sasuke sighed, not knowing what was happening. He was always so confused around the blond – no matter whether he was in the form of himself or of Amatsu. He didn't get what the man in front of him was trying to say – only that it was important.

"So… Kyuu will make you whole again, right?" Sasuke asked, slowly.

Amatsu nodded, not quite knowing where the Uchiha was going with this.

"And when that is done, you will be honest with me, right?"

Seeing no harm in it once the two halves had completely melded again, he nodded.

"So when are you going to have this… thing…?"

_When do you foresee it happening, Kyuu? _Amatsu asked mentally, knowing that it was completely up to the fox to decide when it would happen.

_**Two days, and all will be ready. Two days. **_

The voice of the Demon King was soft, not the loud rumbling that he normally heard.

_Thanks. Go back to resting. You need to conserve your energy so that you don't die during the melding. _

_**Tell Naruto I will not be able to speak until the Joining. **_

_I will. Rest, Kyuu._

_**I will. **_

"So… what's the answer?" Sasuke asked, bringing him back to the present.

Amatsu smiled. "Sorry, had to ask Kyuu! He said two days, so in two days… in two days, you won't have to see the two of us separate any more. You'll know the truth and you'll… you'll have to make a decision."

"Decision?" Sasuke asked.

"Whether you love Naruto or you're just playing with him to feel better about yourself."

"I can-"

Amatsu put a finger on his lips. "Shh. I do not wish to hear the answer now. Think about it. Decide what you wish based on your decisions, not on what you want to tell me. I have taken too much time right now, and have probably shortened your lifespan by several weeks."

Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm. "What?"

"Goodbye Sasuke. We will meet again soon."

With that, Amatsu retreated once again back into the mind of Naruto. Not expecting the switch to happen so quickly, the blond did not come completely to consciousness right away, causing his body to sway violently, tumbling towards the ground.

Moving without thinking, the Uchiha grabbed the boy, lowering them both to the ground while he waited patiently for the boy to wake fully.

He didn't acknowledge the fluttering of his heartbeat when those cerulean blue irises opened, focusing directly on him, and that now-familiar angelic smile graced the boy's face.

* * *

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out, but hell, that's what happens when you don't have any time to do anything anymore. That's a lot of any, mind you. _

_I hope you all review, but hell, I ain't really asking for it. I'm just happy that I got the next point of the story done, really. Things are picking up now, and I only hope that you continue to enjoy the ride that this story has become. _


	15. Melding Together Goodbyes

_Hey all! Welcome to the next installment. Here's the fun dark shit that I've been promising for a few chapters. The quote below, I'll explain a little bit about. Norman James Theatre is a theatre at my college. The loft is where we run one of the lightboards from and there are a SHIT TON of quotes and signatures up here, many of them anonymous. This is just one of them. I've explored every inch of this loft, memorized many of the names that are up here and several of the quotes. I'm actually sitting up in the loft at this very minute, running lightboard, writing this chapter as there is a play on the stage below. _Crimes of the Heart._ Don't see it. I hate it. If it's your cup of tea, that's cool… but it ain't mine. Enjoy the chapter._

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing  
Chapter Fourteen: Melding Together Goodbyes**

-------------------  
"It will be a journey of untold truths and all encompassing answers to questions yet asked by anyone but yourself."

(Norman James Theatre, loft)  
-------------------

Sasuke sighed as he looked down at the peacefully sleeping Angel on his lap. He had ended up skipping his after classes after his conversation with Amatsu. Currently the two were curled up on the couch of his apartment-like dormroom. Sasuke put his book down, trying to make sense of all that he and the other had spoken of.

Amatsu and Naruto used to be the same person, yet someone had split them in two, someone that Amatsu refused to tell him, and he clearly could remember the warning that the demonic half had told him about what not to speak about with Naruto. He wondered if he should take the chance though. It would be better to know who he was dealing with than to be scrambling in the dark all the time.

* * *

The time had finally come. Naruto could feel himself trembling with anxiety. Amatsu and Naruto were to be joined together once again – like they were supposed to be. He stared at the wall of his room from his seat on the floor, trying to gather his courage for what lay ahead. 

_Naruto, there is one thing you should know,_ the voice of Amatsu said.

_What?_

_Sasuke made a contract with us. I don't know how the melding will affect him. _

Naruto gasped._W-what?_

_Just what I said. I don't know how it will affect him. Nothing could happen or something bad could happen. I'm hoping for the former, myself._

_Why didn't you tell me any of this before?_

There was a moment of silence from the demon half. _I didn't want you to worry_.

_Amatsu, what will happen to you?_

_I will be absorbed into your consciousness. You will get some of my aspects, but I will no longer exist… separately, that is. _

_What? How come you're so for this then?_

Naruto could feel Amatsu smiling in his mind. _Because you'll be more happy being your true self. You have no more need of me. I was separated from you in order to protect you in Hell. Now you have Sasuke and Gaara and the others. You still have Kyuu, too. I'll fade out, happy knowing that you're well taken care of._

_I don't want you to go. _

Amatsu sighed, a small smile still on his face. _Naruto, I'm going. There isn't anything either of us can do about that now. I've already accepted it. So… smile for me, okay?_

Naruto couldn't help obeying. The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. _I'll miss you._

Amatsu grinned. Sure you will..

The two were interrupted by the deep rumbling purr of the fox demon. _**Naruto… this is a risky operation. I implore you to say goodbye to those you wish to. Please do it quickly.**_

Naruto nodded. He bit his lip, trying to figure out who he should speak to. An image of his caretaker appeared in his head. "Sasuke…" he whispered before running out of the room. He found the man in the living room, talking with Gaara.

Both looked over at him when he entered the living room. "Something up?" Sasuke asked. Gaara's concerned gaze was enough to relay the same question to Naruto.

The blond felt embarrassed all of the sudden. "Um… we're going to start the melding and we don't know what's going to happen. Kyuu said I should say goodbye just in case it didn't work out and… stuff."

Sasuke raised one eyebrow at the Angel's babbling, allowing a brief smile to cross his face. "So you're starting?"

Naruto nodded, his mouth dry. He knew he needed to tell this man something, but all words were catching in his throat.

"Good luck."

Naruto felt a moment of hesitation before grabbing the man's face and kissing him. The kiss lasted a few seconds before Naruto pulled back. "I… I love you," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "You can give me an answer if I… if I wake up."

Before Sasuke could answer in any way, Naruto moved on to hug Gaara tightly. "I'll see you soon, o-okay?" he promised and promptly rushed back to his room. He closed the door, collapsing against it with a bright red blush rising up his neck.

_I'm proud of you_, Amatsu said. _I just want you to know that._

_I'm definitely gonna miss having you to talk to. _

_Yeah, yeah. Don't get sappy on me. _

Naruto shook his head.

_**Are you ready**_, the deep voice of Kyuubi asked.

_Naruto… don't forget me, okay? I'm ready Kyuu. _The demon half grinned cheekily at the others.

_M-me too,_ Naruto stammered.

_**I will guide you then.**_

Naruto nodded nervously. He trusted Kyuubi, but this was still a lot to ask for. There were several risks to a ritual such as this. Naruto knew that he might not live through them.

_Easy there_, Amatsu warned._ Kyuu knows what he's doing._

_But…_

_No buts. Just trust him, okay? He wouldn't try to kill us. _

_O-okay._

_**Now close your eyes and relax**_the demon king said. _**This will not be comfortable.**_

Naruto nodded and lay down on his bed. He closed his eyes as he was told and entered the dream-like state of his mind.

* * *

Gaara looked at Sasuke, an eyebrow raised in question. "What is happening?" 

Sasuke sat down on the couch, turning to stare at the door on the blond's room. "Did you know that Naruto is half-demon?" he asked vaguely.

"I have heard rumors."

"The demon half sometimes… well, it became its own personality named Amatsu."

Gaara's eyes watered slightly, but didn't speak.

"Kyuubi's putting them back together again."

"I see. What is the success rate that this will work?"

Sasuke leaned forward, resting his head on his crossed hands. "You know?" he asked. "I was always too afraid to ask."

The redhead nodded understandably.

The two sat in silence for a little while before Sasuke spoke again. "Gaara, you're a demon, right?"

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"Four hundred and seventeen."

"Were you there when Naruto was in Hell?"

"I was."

"Who was it that imprisoned in Hell?"

"I was."

"Who was it that imprisoned him?"

Gaara closed his eyes. "A demon of unrivaled power. I have only ever met him once and I am in no hurry to do so again."

"Does he have a name?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

Naruto looked around. This place was scary. Dry, cracked earth with shadows creeping everywhere. The trees were gnarled, dead trunks stretched towards the red and black sky. He drew back in fear. He recognized this place. 

"W-why am I here?" he whispered.

He heard footsteps behind him. He whirled around to find Amatsu. The demon had an easy grin on his face, but if one looked closely, one could see the wariness in his eyes. "This is where it all began, ne?" he asked. "My guess is in order to put us back together, Kyuu had to put us where it all began."

"I don't like it here," Naruto whispered.

"Neither do I, but it already happened. It won't happen again."

"Are you sure?" The Angel looked up at his other half, shining with something that Amatsu couldn't identify. It was a strange mixture of fear, hope and the need to be comforted.

Amatsu nodded, unable to think of anything else to do. "Yeah, I'm sure."

The demon held out his hand. "Come on. Might as well explore this place."

Naruto took the hand, moving closer to Amatsu. "Where's Kyuu?"

Amatsu shrugged. "My guess is that this trial we have to figure out on our own."

The Angel nodded.

* * *

Sasuke's head snapped up at the mention of who the Demon was. "What did you just say?" 

"Uchiha Itachi," the red-haired Demon repeated, not understand why Sasuke was reacting like this.

A low growl emitted from the man, causing Gaara to step back. Blue energy began to swirl around the boy, creating a chilling breeze throughout the living room. An eerie noise was coming from the energy, a song that cut through Gaara. He couldn't stand it. He didn't want to hear it any longer.

"Sasuke!" he yelled, forcing his way to the man. The energy was cutting through him, making welts appear on his skin.

The man stood up, dead eyes looking towards him. He outstretched his hand, flicking the energy directly at Gaara. The force of the blow sent Gaara flying backward, throwing him through the wall of the apartment that led into Shikamaru and Kiba's home. The two Angels stared down at the Demon that had just landed on their living room floor.

"The fuck?" Kiba asked, helping Gaara to his feet.

Gaara didn't answer.

"What's happening?" Kiba wanted to know.

Gaara shook his head. He didn't know.

* * *

Walking through the landscape, Amatsu and Naruto felt a chilling wind sweep past them. Naruto turned to look behind them, a cold he could not describe penetrating him through every pore. 

"Sasuke," he whispered. He turned to Amatsu, a frantic look on his face. "We have to go back! Amatsu, come on!"

The demon half shook his head. "If we stop this now, there will not be another chance to do it."

"That doesn't matter!" Naruto protested. "Sasuke's in danger. We need to help him."

Amatsu sighed. "Naruto…"

"No! We have to help him!"

"Naruto!" the demon yelled.

The Angel quieted, looking up at his more rebellious self.

"If we didn't finish this, _we'll_ be in danger," Amatsu insisted. "Do you understand me?"

After a moment of hesitation, Naruto nodded and allowed Amatsu to lead him forward.

* * *

Temari, Kankarou and Shikamaru joined Kiba and Gaara in their speculation. The eerie song was louder, rising in both volume and sadness. The Uchiha reached into his pocket, as though in a trance and removed the pocket watch that had been given to him a mere few days before. The watch was changing, cracking and breaking and no one could figure out why. A shot of energy blew out of it, heading straight for its holder. 

"Watch out!" Temari yelled, trying to get closer but the intense cold forced her back again.

Sasuke paid no attention to this, catching the energy and melding it with his own, a terrifying, childlike smile upon his lips.

There was a slight gasp from behind the five gathered. Looking over his shoulder, Gaara could see that Neji had arrived

* * *

A castle appeared at the edge of Naruto's vision. He bit his lip as he recognized the place where Itachi had kept him prisoner. 

"Easy, mate," the demon beside him whispered. "It happened, but I promised you, remember? Kyuu wouldn't allow it to happen again, either."

Naruto nodded uncertainly as Amatsu led him onward.

It wasn't long before the two entered the castle that continued to give them nightmares.

"I don't want to be here," Naruto complained.

"Neither do I," his other half admitted.

Following the dark hallways, in a matter of minutes, Naruto and Amatsu came up on the cell that had served as their home for years.

"Let's look inside," Amatsu said.

"W-what?"

"We're here for a reason. Let's find out what that reason is."

"B-but…"

Amatsu grabbed Naruto's shoulders, turning the smaller boy to face him. "Do you want to help Sasuke or not?"

"I… I do."

"Then let's get this over with."

"O-Okay."

Amatsu moved forward and lifted the latch, opening the door. The cell was exactly as they remembered. "W-Who's that?" Naruto stammered, pointing at a beaten figure on the wall. The figure was small, malnourished, its arms shackled by chains to a hook above its head.

"Wait here," Amatsu said. Naruto nodded, one hand gripping the doorframe.

Amatsu inched closer to the figure, treading carefully in case this was a trap of some sort. The figure didn't move.

"Hey…" the Demon began but his voice died off as he finally saw the figure's face. He turned back to the Angel. "Naruto… it's us!"

* * *

"What is going on?" Neji asked, looking directly at Shikamaru. 

The Scout shrugged. "Sasuke went insane, threw Gaara into and through a wall and then became this bothersome."

Before Neji could respond, there was a large blast of energy. All six ducked to avoid being hit by the dangerous attacks.

A new energy signature entered the room, materializing out of nowhere. This one was dark and red, making the more sensitive of the group feel ill. Shikamaru tried to see what was happening, but the brightness of both energies prevented him from seeing anything.

Instead, a soft, menacing voice whispered, "Hello, little brother."

The song intensified, ringing in the ears of all that were there.

* * *

"Us?" Naruto asked, uncertain of what Amatsu meant. 

"I'm serious. This guy-" He pointed at the prisoner. "-is us!"

Naruto shuddered. This wasn't good. He didn't want to face what this place wanted him to face. He just wanted to forget. His body trembled, trying to figure out what it was that Kyuu wanted them to do. What was the point of bringing them back here? Why couldn't the just continue going the way they were going? He didn't mind having Amatsu in his mind. It was comforting knowing that he was not alone.

_I don't want to go forward_, his mind screamed.

A chilling wind brushed past him. Anger and sadness and abandonment washed over him. It wasn't his own, either. He looked up at Amatsu, only to find that the demon was no longer there.

"Amatsu?" he called.

* * *

Sasuke whirled around at the voice. Standing before him on the either side of the blue whirlwind that he had surrounded himself in was none other than Uchiha Itachi. Shimmering around the older man's form was a dark red barrier. 

"What are you?" the younger yelled. "What am I?"

Itachi merely smirked. "So the time had finally come, little brother."

Sasuke glared. "What time?"

Itachi did not give an audible response. Instead, he reached out, manipulating his powers to make a sharp point. Before anyone could blink, the point shot forward, finding purchase buried deep within flesh.

A bright flash of light blinded them all for a few brief seconds. The scene that greeted them after the spots had disappeared from their vision was not what they expected.

* * *

Naruto was confused. A second ago, the Demon had been with him and now the cell was completely bared. The prisoner, Amatsu, the shackles and even the hook that held the chains up were gone. 

"Gotta find Amatsu," the blond whispered, trembling in terror. "Gotta move forward."

* * *

The light of all the energies in the room had cleared, with the exception of Itachi's weapon. 

Sasuke gasped as he looked at what was in front of him. The blade of Itachi's energy had indeed found flesh. It wasn't Sasuke's though. The energy blade had pierced Gaara. The Demon stared at Itachi without blinking; not backing down from the glare the older Uchiha was giving him.

"Stupid little demon," Itachi snarled, digging the blade deeper into Gaara's stomach. The redhead's aquamarine eyes narrowed at the pain and small tickle of blood could be seen dripping out of the left corner of his mouth. "Do not get involved in matters you know nothing about."

Gaara allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "You're here for Naruto, my guess is," he murmured, not showing a hint of pain in his voice.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, taking a few steps back with a lazy smirk forming on his face. "What of it?"

"That makes it my business."

Itachi withdrew the sword, pushing Gaara down. "It doesn't suit you to be a hero."

Gaara smirked, getting to one knee.

"Gaara?" Sasuke whispered.

The redhead Demon smiled, holding out a hand to stop Sasuke from doing anything. With a low grunt, he stood up, pride and determination lining his body. "Allow me to do this for Naruto," he said.

Looking into those eyes, Sasuke could see everything that Gaara was fighting for: Naruto, himself, and all of those in the now-joined rooms.

"Go," the Uchiha whispered, and for the first time in his life, he prayed for something. He prayed for Gaara's safety.

* * *

Naruto stepped into the torture chamber where Amatsu had first appeared. He could remember that day well. However, the fact remained that he didn't know what Amatsu had emerged. What had originally split the two in half? Something told him that whatever had made them split was the key to bringing them back together again. 

"I have to do this," he whispered to the room of his nightmares. "I have to remember!"

* * *

Gaara turned, holding a hand on the wound that Itachi had given him. "You will not take him," he growled to Itachi. 

"I highly doubt that you will be able to stop me," the Uchiha said.

Gaara shrugged and rushed forward.

* * *

Naruto closed his eyes. "I have to remember," he whispered to himself, repeating it several times as he explored the paths in his own mind. He knew the answer was here, he just had to find it. 

_Naruto, give control over to me. I can fight this, try to free us. You want to be free, right?_

Naruto's eyes snapped open. He had figured it out. He knew what caused the split of personalities. Now he just had to figure out a way to meld them back together.

* * *

"You are no match for me," Itachi bragged. Gaara lay on the floor after a short and ineffective attack on the elder Uchiha. Although his Sand had protected him from the more ferocious attacks, he was still sporting several new gashes and wounds. He was breathing heavily, unable to gather much more energy. "Ah well, too bad you couldn't amuse me." The demon raised his blood-streaked energy sword and made on more swift, downward strike, stabbing Gaara through the chest. 

The redhead let out a scream of pain.

* * *

Naruto looked around him, anew strength in his eyes. "I'm not afraid anymore!" he screamed. "I'm not afraid anymore! You can let me leave! I'm not alone and I'm not afraid!" 

_**Very good**_, the voice of Kyuubi said, resounding from all around. _**You passed your test. Good luck with all that you do**_.

"Thanks Kyuu," Naruto grinned. "So are you gonna send me home or do you want me to click my heels three times first?"

_**Impudent brat. Welcome back.**_

Naruto nodded as the landscape around him began to melt into darkness.

* * *

"Gaara!" Sasuke yelled. With a feral growl, he jumped at his brother, not quite sure what he wanted to do. He just knew that he had to avenge his friend. Itachi sidestepped his younger brother easily. 

"You are still too weak to challenge me," he goaded, delivering a swift blow to the back of Sasuke's neck.

With a pained gasp, the younger fell lifelessly on the floor, all energy disappearing. Itachi stared at the others, a grim smirk on his face.

"Anyone else want to fall?" he asked lightly. "Otherwise, I'm going to take my prize."

Neji stood, walking slowly over to where Itachi was. He shifted into his battle stance, white eyes glaring at Itachi.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Hyuuga Neji. Nice to meet you."

"Hyuuga… Neji?"

"Yes."

"So that's why you look familiar. And here I thought I killed you."

Neji did not answer. He was instead looking for an opening for an attack. Itachi had good defense and the Hyuuga could not see any weak points. Sighing, Itachi realized that this boy would not be as easy to provoke as Gaara, or Sasuke, or even Naruto's little alter-ego, Amatsu. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. In one way, it excited him to have an experienced opponent, but he always loved those angry, determined faces that turned hopeless at the last moment, when they realized that there was no way to win.

A door opened to the left of the war zone and both combatants turned to look. A tuft of blonde hair appeared, its bangs hanging over a scarred, suspicious face. The once baby blue eyes had darkened with age into a deeper blue. The Angel stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him so that he could lean against it.

"Naruto!" Kiba let out from where he was.

The blond grinned. "Hey Kiba! Who decided to redo our apartment?"

Kiba let out a nervous chuckle before motioning to Itachi. For some reason, the Angel-Demon had not noticed him yet.

Those deep blue eyes widened slightly, but unlike what would have happened before, the fear did not overtake him. Instead, he glared at his former prison guard.

"Get. Out," he snarled.

Itachi smirked. "Am I speaking to Amatsu then?"

A smirk appeared slowly on the blond's face. "There is no Amatsu anymore. Only Naruto."

The red-black eyes of Itachi narrowed at the Angel. "What do you mean?"

The boy's hand patted his stomach. "Kyuu fixed us up from what you did. Congratulations, by the way, that was a master plan. Making me feel so afraid, abandoned and unsure that I create another personality. Genius. One small thing you forgot was Kyuu, though. Just so you know, he _really_ doesn't like you. Your plan failed. Get out of my house."

Itachi gritted his teeth together. "Make me," he challenged.

Naruto's eyes dimmed a little bit, as though he were focusing on something else. "Hey, Kyuu, can you break the seal that Sarutobi put on our energy." He paused for a second, listening for the fox's response. "Thanks."

Energy pulsed around him, visible wisps traveled around the room. Coming back to himself, Naruto stared at Itachi through glowing eyes. "If you do not leave now," he warned, "I will not be held responsible."

Itachi's mouth thinned into a stern look before a mirthless smile appeared. "You have become more powerful than I could foresee. You will make a beautiful pet for me one day… Kyuubi."

With that said, the elder Uchiha vanished.

Naruto sighed, a nervous grin on his face. "Kyaa! That was scary!" he let out.

Neji walked over to his charge. "Are you well?" he asked.

The blond grinned. "Just tired, but better than I've been in a _long_ time." He looked at Neji intensely for a moment. "Where's Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Where. Is. Sasuke?"

"He's over here," Shikamaru called. He had moved over to where the two wounded were. Naruto's eyes widened and he rushed over.

"W-What happened?" he whispered, not knowing which one to go to. The Uchiha was out cold, and Shikamaru couldn't wake him up with light slaps to the face. Gaara, on the other hand, had his eyes cracked open.

Naruto decided to go to the redhead. "How did this happen?" he yelled, grabbing Gaara's shirt.

"I-Itachi," the boy let out, his eyes closing softly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Naruto sobbed into Gaara's shirt. "Why did you do that? Why are you dying for me?"

Gaara cracked open his eyes, seeing the blonde laying his head on his stomach. "Because…" Gaara started. His voice was soft, weak almost. "You're happy." He paused, looking at the blonde as if he was deciding whether or not to say something. Naruto grabbed the cold and clammy hand.

"I'm jealous," he told his friend. "You have someone for you."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't want you to die," he told the redhead.

Gaara ruffled Naruto's locks gently. "Live," was all he said. His eyes closed slowly, his hand falling to the ground, making a light _thump_ as it hit.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "He's gone," he said softly.

"W-What?" Temari yelled from where she was. She rushed over to her little brother, followed closely by Kankarou and Kiba.

Shikamaru couldn't look either of them in the eye. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Kiba stood back, hugging Akamaru closely. He couldn't believe it. Gaara was gone. He wasn't coming back. The Angel sniffed, trying not to cry over the news.

Naruto couldn't help the tears that fell. He ran over to Sasuke, fearing the same, hugging the prone form close to his body, looking for any signs of life. He couldn't help the small feeling of relief when he heard the faint thumping of Sasuke's heart.

"He's alive," he whispered. "But Gaara. Oh God. Oh God." He hiccupped trying to hold back the sobs that were threatening to engulf him. He lay Sasuke down and stood up. He couldn't take this. He couldn't stand this. Without a word, he ran up the stairs to the roof of the building.

He didn't hear the calls of his name when he sprang out of the room. He ignored it. He needed air. He needed a quiet place. He needed everything to calm down and allow him peace. He burst through the rooftop door, noticing the quiet of this place. It felt untouched, like snow before it was played on.

Naruto wished it would snow. He had always loved to get lost in the snow.

The stars hung innocently in the night sky and a chilly wind swept across the rooftop. Naruto shivered as he drew closer to the edge. He would kill Itachi for what the man had done to Gaara and to him.

Anger pulsed through him. It was stronger than he had ever known. He would have vengeance. He _would _have salvation. (1)

He would mourn his friend later. For now, he had to stay focused. An emotionless smirk appeared on his lips.

Uzumaki Naruto was going to _enjoy_ killing Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

They buried Gaara the next day, just the group of them. It was a way of honoring their fallen comrade and friend. Sasuke couldn't believe that it was his own brother that had done this. How did that work out anyway? Sasuke was only seventeen years old, yet his older brother had been the one to imprison Naruto _three hundred_ years ago. 

Thinking of the blond, Sasuke looked over at his charge. The boy had no expression on his face as he stared at the grave. There was nothing showing in his eyes or his posture either. He was like a statue, staring at nothingness, even though his eyes were focused on the mound of earth in front of them. Abruptly, the boy turned away from the grave and headed off in the direction of the apartment building they all lived in. Sasuke allowed himself one last look at Gaara's resting place before setting off to follow the Angel-Demon. Naruto didn't seem to notice the entire way back. He entered the living space – it had been cleaned up after Gaara's death. Naruto didn't stop to notice anything as he made his way to his room. Grabbing his book bag, he began shoving everything he wanted into it: clothes, a picture of him and Sasuke as well as the pocket watch that had bonded him to the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke watched all of this before finally asking, "What are you doing?"

Naruto looked up for a moment before shaking his head and grabbing his jacket. He slipped it on and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Can't you tell?" he asked incredulously. "I'm leaving."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What?"

"It isn't hard to understand. I'm leaving, going, gone – well, as soon as you move out of my way. This isn't the place for me."

"Why not?"

"Look," Naruto growled. "Everywhere I go, Death follows. I stayed here too long. Gaara's dead. I'm going to leave before anyone else dies as well."

"I thought… you said you loved me, right?" Sasuke bit his lip. His chest – his heart hurt so much at the thought of Naruto leaving him. "You said I could answer you when you come back. I-I haven't done that yet."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Sasuke looked down at the ground. "A-and I think I love you too. I'm not… I don't… I can't even explain it."

The blond sighed, a small smile on his lips. He walked over to Sasuke, leaning in to give him a lingering kiss. Sasuke looked at the Angel-Demon as the kiss finished. There was such a forlorn look in the blond's eyes. "That just makes my leaving more important."

"Why?" Sasuke asked angrily, his fists clenching.

"Because Itachi will use any relationship we have against us. Anything we have… he'll use it. Someone might die. I-I don't want to see anyone else gone. Especially not you."

He leaned in again, capturing Sasuke's lips with his own, tongue demanding entrance. Sasuke's hands reached up, hugging Naruto close to him. He explored every inch of the boy's mouth with his own tongue. After a moment, he drew back for air and a second later was vigorously attacking the boy's neck. Naruto moaned, reaching up to grab Sasuke's hair, pushing his body flush against the Uchiha's.

"If you're going to leave me," Sasuke whispered against the boy's neck. "Will you at least allow me one night?"

Naruto smiled, his free hand running up the side of Sasuke's muscular physique. He ducked his head, nuzzling the Uchiha's neck and nipping the raven-haired man's ear. "All right," he whispered, pulling back to drop his bag and coat. Sasuke followed him in, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The next more found the two naked in Naruto's bed. Sasuke's arms were wrapped possessively around the blond. As sunlight filtered through the open window, the Angel-Demon was the first to awaken, blue eyes staring at the ceiling in contemplation. He was thinking of what had happened the night before. It had been pleasurable beyond anything that he had even known. He wanted to repeat the experience many times, but… 

He couldn't put Sasuke in danger.

The Uzumaki sat up, the blankets falling to pool around his waist. Sasuke groaned in his sleep and rolled over, releasing his hold on Naruto. The blond smiled down at him, slipping as quietly as he could out of the bed. He tucked Sasuke in, leaning down for one last kiss to the sleeping man's lips.

"Goodbye, love. I hope you don't forget me," Naruto whispered.

With that, he stepped back and put his clothes – just as Sasuke had taught him -, grabbed his bag and walked out of the apartment, not allowing himself a last glance at the life he could have had there.

* * *

(1)Blatantly ripped from _Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. _To anyone who got the reference, I applaud you. 

_There are a few things I would like to point out about this chapter. _

_Number 1: Itachi was NOT supposed to appear yet. Ah well. _

_Number 2: Sasuke and Naruto were NOT supposed to have sex… ever, really. Ah well. _

_Number 3: Gaara WAS supposed to die. Sorry folks, I've been planning that one for three chapters. I just didn't expect him to go like this. I had a beautiful scene written up and everything, and then junked it for this one. I like this one better. _

_Number 4: I wrote most of this in classes. WHOO! SCHOOLZ!_

_Number 5: … I love you?_


	16. Hidden in Words

_Hey everyone, sorry about the wait. It's been a while, and I can only blame thesis stuff for it. Yeah. Don't ever become a junior or senior in college, especially as a Theatre Major. Life? You no has it anymore! And then to add salt to the wounds of my semester, my computer died yesterday. I'm using the one at my work to write this. BE PROUD! I am._

_So here we are, the sixteenth installment of Wish Upon a Lost Wing. More sadness here, sorry to say. So here we are. _

**Wish Upon A Lost Wing  
Chapter Fifteen: Hidden in Words**

--

"If I have lost confidence in myself, then I have the universe against me."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

--

Sasuke looked through his textbook, trying to concentrate on what the words were trying to teach him. With a sigh, he stared up at the digital clock by his bed. It had only been two minutes since he had last checked it. With a heavy sigh, he slammed the book closed and stood up. He just couldn't concentrate on anything these days. He moved over to the window and gaze over the landscape, just like he had done countless times before.

Six months.

Six months today that Naruto had left. He couldn't actually believe it had been so short a time. It felt like ten years, perhaps more, yet it had only been half of _one_.

"I only spent a week and a half with him," he growled at the window as though it were all the paned glass's fault. "Why can't I forget him? What the hell is wrong with me?"

Still, he knew why he couldn't forget the Angel-Demon. The blond had wriggled his way into Sasuke's life in a way that Sasuke would never be able to fully understand.

He turned away from the window, not wanting to see the world at the moment. Instead, the raven-haired boy walked out of his own room, only to be greeted by the closed door of Naruto's. Slowly, he reached forward and opened it. The room was untouched, trapped within the span of that one week where Sasuke had been happy. Living was such a chore now, trying to get through day by day. There just wasn't a spark anymore. Sasuke bit his lip, staring at the bed where he had taken Naruto and marked him.

Shaking his head quickly, he slammed the door shut, cutting off his view of that room. Counting in doubles in his head, Sasuke moved to the kitchenette. Maybe some food would be good.

"Six months today, is it?" a voice from behind him asked.

Sasuke whirled around, dropping his cereal, scattering it across the tiled floor.

Tsunade sat at the table, staring at him. She was still taking over his class, but refused to tell the young Uchiha why.

Sasuke glared. "You know very well how long it's been," he snapped, crouching down to pick up the cereal that he had inadvertently spilled.

Tsunade nodded. "That I do. How are you holding up?"

"Fine," Sasuke said, a neutral expression on his face.

"Are you?

"I am."

In truth, he was lonely. Not only for Naruto. After Gaara died, Temari and Kankarou left to try and figure out things in Hell; Shikamaru and Kiba were off searching for Naruto, as proper Scouts and Neji had gone with them, claiming it was his right. That left Sasuke here, alone.

"Sasuke?" Tsunade asked.

The Uchiha stared at her.

"In all honesty, you confuse me," Tsunade began. "You show up out of nowhere and we thought you were just an unlucky human. But you aren't. We don't even know what you are. I haven't been able to find anything."

Sasuke gathered the last of the cereal, depositing it in the trash. "They knew," he whispered.

"Who?"

"Naruto. Itachi. Those two knew and neither would tell me. I guess he didn't tell you before he left."

Tsunade shook her head.

"Then maybe I am that dangerous. Maybe I should forget everything about all of you."

"Would you be able to?"

Sasuke looked confused. "What?"

"If you could, would you be able to forget all of this. Would you want to?"

The Uchiha shrugged. He didn't know. He pursed his lips as he thought about it. Would he honestly want to forget everything? The week he had spent with these beings had been the best in his life. Before that, he was always second best to his perfect brother. The only reason that he brother mattered to these people was for something that Itachi had done hundreds of years ago. Hundreds of years ago. That still didn't make any sense to the Uchiha. In order for his brother to be that old, so would his parents. Then why was he this young? Something then dawned on him.

"Tsunade, how old is Itachi?"

"Seven hundred and eighty four, from what we've gathered."

No, it didn't make any sense.

There was a furious knocking on the door, jarring him from his thoughts. Sasuke looked towards the slightly shaking object. Biting his lip and hoping against hope, the Uchiha went to answer the door. Maybe this time, it would be Naruto coming home. Maybe this time, it would be at least some kind of news. He threw open the door, only to be met with Kiba. Sasuke couldn't help the small sigh of disappointment that escaped him.

"Hi Sasuke," the Scout greeted. "It's been a while."

Sasuke nodded dumbly.

"Is it okay if I stay here a few days?" the Angel asked sheepishly.

"Why would you need to do that?" Tsunade asked from where she remained seated, staring at him with imperial eyes.

Kiba looked down at his feet. "Hokage-sama, I have a few contacts who are supposed to be getting back to me soon. I wanted a neutral place for the meeting."

"He can stay here," Sasuke exclaimed, staring boldly at Tsunade. "In fact, he will stay here."

"Why are you so trusting?" Tsunade asked.

"Why aren't you?" Sasuke countered.

The Angel had a pursed look on her face as she entered into a silent battle of wills against the Uchiha. After a few moments of tense glaring, she finally broke eye contact.

"Fine. Do what you will. Kiba, I expect a full report about this."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

"Sasuke… I guess I'll see you in class." With that, she stormed out the door.

Kiba and Sasuke stared after her.

"Wow. Thanks, Sasuke."

The Uchiha shrugged. "I'll do whatever I can to help Naruto. Make yourself comfortable. You can have the couch."

Kiba watched as the other boy slammed the cereal box into the cabinet and retreat to his room.

"It's good to be home," the Scout smiled to himself as he threw himself down onto the couch. Akamaru barked in agreement. The dog curled himself onto the floor, and both promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he found himself staring out the window once more. God, he was pining. He knew he was pining. Kiba's return had caused a stir within him. He had the urge to do something, to go out and search for Naruto himself. He reached out a hand, pressing it against the cool glass. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against it, taking in the scenery.

From his window, he found he could see the little garden where he had once taken Naruto when the fighting between Angels and Demons was too much. Two months ago, it had been covered in snow.

"I wanted to show you snow, Naruto," he whispered. "I don't know if you've ever seen it, but I wanted to show you it." His voice broke as he continued. "I wanted to show you so many things. Why did you leave me?"

He stood there for a moment, composing himself. It wouldn't do for him to lose it whilst Kiba was his guest. Granted, Kiba had seen him lose it before, but that was besides the point. Sasuke opened his textbook again. He would never say it out loud, but he was glad that Kiba was back.

_One chapter, then I'll get some sleep_, he promised himself and then did exactly that.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Sasuke opened his eyes. Expecting another slow and lonely day. This view of what was to come shattered with a large crash and a loud curse. An accompaniment of barks reminded the college student what had happened the day before.

With a loud yawn, he pushed the covers back and sat up. He could vaguely here Kiba muttered and cursing from the living room. He opened the curtains of the window as he had done every morning, staring pout at the horizon. Every morning, he had searched the grounds and skies for any sign of his blond. And every morning, he had shut the curtains as a feeling of hopelessness came over him. Today, despite his company, was no different.

With a heavy sigh, the college student turned his back on the closed window. Another day. He had almost gotten used to the disappointment he felt everytime he looked at the empty landscape below his window. He shook his head, ridding it of the thoughts that resided there. He had three classes today and he needed to get ready for them. Just because he was pining was no excuse for life not to continue on.

Entering the main room of the apartment, he found Kiba with the contents of half his refrigerator scattered about. The Uchiha raises an eyebrow at Kiba's sheepish grin.

"Just clean it up and tell me news."

Kiba looked puzzled. "News?"

Sasuke nodded. "You've been gone six months. Do you know anything?"

Kiba shrugged. "I've got a meeting with Temari set up for this afternoon. I've been searching high and low in Heaven, as has Shikamaru, and we haven't found him. Temari got a rather cryptic message through. I'm hoping she and Kankarou found something in Hell."

Sasuke nodded, not knowing if there was any other way to respond.

The two sat in silence for a bit, not exactly sure what to say to the other.

Finally, Sasuke spoke up. "What was the message?"

Kiba reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather crumpled piece of paper. Silently, he handed it over to Sasuke.

"For you I never did die," Sasuke read aloud. "My ending, final bow is near. In the night, I find he exits. Like lilacs to the watery snow." A confused glance to Kiba told him that the other didn't have a clue as to what this message meant either.

"How do you know it's from Temari?" Sasuke questioned.

"Because she's the one that gave it to me, along with instructions to be here today at four o'clock."

Sasuke was silent. He glanced at the clock, noticing the time. "Good luck," he said sincerely. "I'm off to class. Don't destroy too much while I'm gone.

Kiba nodded reluctantly as he watched Sasuke leave. Leanign back against the cupboard, he sighed. Soemthing told him this was going to be a bad day. He looked down at his faithful companion.

"Akamaru," he said. The puppy yipped. "Follow him. Keep him safe." After an affirmative bark, the dog ran off to follow Sasuke and watch over him. Kiba sighed and closed his eyes. It was almost surreal being back here, but he still felt like this was more home to him than anywhere else he had been.

* * *

Sasuke stared up at Tsunade as she lectured. He couldn't concentrate on a single word she was saying. Kiba's return had definitely offset the Uchiha's state of being. He had long ago given up on taking notes and was glad that this was his last class of the day. He glanced at his watch.

3:45.

It would be another fifteen minutes before class let out and on top of that, it was a fifteen minute walk back to his place. He wouldn't be able to make the meeting. He didn't even care that he had not been formally invited to the meeting. It was happening at his home, and therefore he was going to be there, one way or another.

"And that's everything for today," Tsunade's voice drifted into his ears.

Sasuke stared at her, questioning what she was doing silently. The noise of the other students leaving pushed Sasuke out of his seat and towards the door. He glanced at his watch. 3:47. If he hurried, he would be able to make the meeting.

Shouldering his backpack, he made his way towards his apartment as quickly as he could. He didn't even realize he had started running, the anticipation setting his nerves on fire. He saw his building coming closer and jumped up the stairs two at a time. He burst into his apartment at 3:59, exactly.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the boy's exuberant entrance. "Welcome back," he greeted.

Sasuke nodded as he took off his shoes and set his backpack down. "Thanks," he responded, having forgotten the simple joy of having someone say "Welcome home" to him. He couldn't help the small smile on his face as he shut the door behind him and went to pour himself a glass of water.

Gulping it down, the Uchiha was nearly bouncing on his toes at the thought of getting news about Naruto.

Kiba looked at him sadly. Sasuke really loved Naruto. It was obvious from everything he did. It almost hurt Kiba physically to watch this. Even if Sasuke and Naruto did love each other and did want to spend the rest of their lives together, it couldn't happen. Naruto was an Angel and a Demon, with a rather long lifespan. Sasuke, whatever he was, seemed to age along with humans. No matter what happened, it would only end in tragedy.

Kiba didn't have the heart to tell his fright this. So he would keep his mouth shut on that particular point. He would let Sasuke live in his fantasy for a little while longer.

"Has she come around yet?" Sasuke asked nervously as the minutes ticked by.

Kiba shook her head. "No. She's usually punctual, too."

Sasuke tapped his fingers lightly against the countertop, showing his anxiety.

Kiba looked around for Akamaru. The dog wasn't there. Blinking in confusing, he whistled softly, trying to figure out where his pup had gone. He whistled a little louder, but to no avail. Worried, he stood and made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba turned around and stared at the human. "I sent Akamaru to look after you because something felt off. He hasn't come back, so I'm off to find him."

"What do I do?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"Wait here. Do not leave this place. It's protected by some powerful stuff. You should be safe, as long as you stay here. If I ain't back in a half an hour, call Tsunade or Jiraiya." He gave the boy a last grin and stepped out.

That would be the last time that Uchiha Sasuke ever saw Inuzuka Kiba alive.

* * *

The minutes ticked by slowly, and Sasuke became more and more anxious. Kiba hadn't returned and Temari had yet to arrive. Nothing about this was sitting well with him. He turned to look at the clock. It had been twenty-three minutes since he had watched Kiba leave. He stood up and began pacing around the tiny living room. He couldn't believe what was happening. Once again, these people had crashed into his life, thrusting impossible things on him. Sasuke gritted his teeth. Were they all going to leave him again in a week? Two weeks? Maybe even less than that. He sat down on the couch, rocking.

He didn't want to be abandoned again.

He didn't want to be left behind.

Thirty-four minutes had passed by. Something had happened. Completely forgetting Kiba's warnings, he grabbed his jacket and made his way out. He didn't have a clue where Kiba was, but something was preventing him from standing still. It was almost as though something was pushing him towards whatever would greet him when he got there.

After nearly ten minutes of walking, Sasuke came across a lovely white feather. Picking it up, he could feel the power running through it. The Uchiha stared at it for a long while before putting it into his pocket and continuing on.

A short while later, Sasuke found his friend.

Or what was left of him.

Kiba lay on the ground, a look of fear forever frozen on his face. Parts of his body had been separated and flung about. Sasuke pressed his lips together in an angry white line. He wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't become sick at the sight. In fact, the only thing that he found he could do was reach over and gently close those wide brown eyes. He sat back, away from the gore, and stared at it. What had done this? What _could_ have done this? This was… sickening. This was… there were no words for how Sasuke felt when he saw the scattered remains of his friend. He was overwhelmed with grief, shock and anger. The rage was the strongest. He could hear it ringing in his ears and it was becoming louder with each passing second. He couldn't control it.

Something was awakening inside of him once again.

A flash of bright blond out of the corner of his eye startled him. Whatever had been trying to take over stopped and receded into the back of his mind once again. He turned towards the color, only to find Temari standing there, a sorrowful look on her face. She had changed a lot in the last six months. Scars now dotted her arms, neck and face. The spark that she had always carried was slightly dimmer.

"This needs to stop," she whispered, kneeling next to Kiba's lifeless form. "It needs to stop!"

Sasuke moved to stand next to her. He couldn't think of a single thing to say. Slowly, he pulled out his phone and pressed one of the speed dials. "Tsunade," he said shortly, fearing that if he spoke in longer sentences, he would break. "Kiba's dead." He then gave the location of where they were before hanging up.

Slowly, he reached a hand out to Temari. "Come on. Let them deal with this."

She nodded and took his hand. The two made their way back to Sasuke's apartment in total silence. Once they were safely inside, Temari flopped onto the couch. Sasuke went over to the kitchenette and put some water in the kettle. He grabbed two mugs and put a bag of Earl Grey black tea in each. As soon as the kettle's whistle blew, Sasuke took the kettle off the burner and poured water into both cups.

He carried the mugs over to Temari, pressing one into her hands. "Drink," he said simply.

She took the tea with a slight nod and sipped it.

"What was your note about?" Sasuke finally asked.

"Kiba showed you that?"

Sasuke nodded.

"It wasn't mine. I got it from Naruto."

The Uchiha's eyes widened. "Naruto?"

"Yes. He found me about a month back in this Realm. Didn't say a word. He just handed me the note and left. I was hoping Kiba could tell me what it meant, since he knew Naruto longer than me, but…"

"He was just as confused as you and me," Sasuke quickly cut her off. They needed to focus. Kiba was a hard loss, but Sasuke just wanted it all to be over. In order to have that, he needed to press forward.

Temari nodded. "I don't understand was Naruto was trying to tell us." She pulled out a copy – or maybe the original – of the message. Sasuke looked down at it. It was written slightly different than the one that Kiba had.

_For you, I never did die  
My ending, final bow is near  
In the night, I find He Exits  
Like Lilacs to the watery snow_

Sasuke read it several times, trying to make some sort of sense of it. "It's like a poem," he grumbled. "I could only guess what it means!"

Temari nodded, a disappointed look on her face. "I hoped you would. You two were so close."

Sasuke didn't answer for a moment. "It doesn't matter," he snapped. "Naruto left me just as easily as the rest of you." He took a deep breath, calming himself and returning to the task at hand. "Riddles are not my forte."

Temari sighed, choosing to ignore his earlier statement. "It was worth a shot."

Sasuke didn't answer. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out the message left to him by Naruto. Opening his eyes, he stared down at the riddle. "For you, I never did die," he read again. "That's obvious. Naruto isn't dead, physically or to us."

"If its obvious, why did he write it?" the Demon asked.  
Sasuke shrugged. "It isn't for rhyme. It isn't for rhythm."

The two stared down at the riddle. With a moment of genius, Sasuke grabbed another piece of paper and a pen and copied the poem, using only the first words letter of each word instead of the words.

Now it read:

FYINDDMEFINBINITNIFHELLTOTWS

"It still doesn't make much sense," Temari whispered, obviously thinking Sasuke was a moron for trying this.

"No. It does. Look at it."

"I am and I'm not seeing anything."

Slowly, Sasuke crossed out several of the letters. Now it read:

FINDMEINHELL

"Read that," the raven-haired boy ordered softly.

"'Find me in Hell'." The blonde read slowly. Her head snapped up and she stared at Sasuke. "He's in Hell?" Her eyes were widened with surprise.

Sasuke nodded grimly. "He's in Hell."

* * *

_Kyuubi-Kun's Korner!_

_Yeah, so there's this chapter. Props to those who figured out the riddle before Sasuke and Temari did. I used a technique that was shown in the Kindaichi Case Files. It's a pretty fun technique. I sometimes do it to poems and the like, just to see what they can say. It's pretty fun! _

_Um, yeah. I would have had this chapter out sooner if I didn't have thesis and everything. For those of you who have stuck with me, I'm glad for it. I'm really grateful. You guys keep me writing fanfiction and you keep me interested in this story. I am eternally grateful to all you have done. (bows)_

_On another note, I can't wait to get a new computer. This piece of shit at my work is hell to type on. Seriously! (kicks it many times) _

_Well, I look forward to reading all of the reviews that you may leave me. Thanks again! _


	17. The Incarnate

_Well, it's been a while. That's about all I can say. As many have probably noticed, my name's changed, but it is still the same old me… with less time to do any writing. But I enjoy this story – so it will take a while with working a full-time job and everything, but one day this will completed. Hopefully. We're nearing the end anyway. I only anticipate four chapters at the absolute most left to this story. _

_I would like to take this moment then, to dedicate this chapter to Maliciously Creative. Hopefully she can find peace in the hereafter. _

_I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Thank you._

**

* * *

Wish Upon a Lost Wing  
Chapter Fifteen: The Incarnate**

------------------------------

"A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for."

(_Anonymous)_

-----------------------------

"We're going to hell," Sasuke decided firmly, his obsidian eyes never leaving Temari's.

The blond's eyes widened at this prospect. "Only demons and Immortals can get into Hell. _You_ are a human. That wouldn't work. You'd be burned just for getting within feet of the gate!"

Sasuke glared at the Demon. "We don't know that!" he protested, his hands clenching into fists. His voice quieted as he continued. "Only Itachi and Naruto know… and I'm willing to risk it. He said to find him. I'm _going_ to find him."

Temari shook her head, realizing that there was no dissuading the black-haired teenager from this. "Fine. I'll be your guide. Don't worry. No one should mess with you while I'm there."

That peaked Sasuke's curiosity. "Why?"

Temari shrugged. "I'm Gaara's big sister. No one messes with me for fear of him."

Sasuke frowned. "But Gaara's dead…"

"And only those who were there know that."

A look of realization dawned on the man's face. "Ah."

She nodded once. "Are you sufficient with any weaponry?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Sasuke was surprised at this question. "What?"

"Are you. Sufficient. With. Any. Weaponry?" she repeated, emphasizing every word.

"I'm okay with a katana, I've had a bit of training… nothing much though," he replied, confused. His training in martial arts had been mostly narrowed down to hand-to-hand combat, but he had received a bit of instruction in how to use a katana.

"We'll stop and get you one, then."

"Are you anticipating fighting?"

She looked over at him with a look that asked if he was joking. "Honey, its Hell. There's _always_ violence." Sasuke looked a little disturbed at this prospect. She sent him a haughty look. "Still willing to go?"

The Uchiha set his mouth in a grim line, remembering Naruto's carefree smile. "Yes."

"Then let's go. We've a few errands to run first. The Armory for example."

Sasuke nodded. He went around his apartment, packing a small backpack full of rations for the two of them. When he finished, he nodded at the blond. "Let's go."

* * *

Naruto looked out across the horizon. Unlike the human conception of fire and brimstone, Hell was actually a rather beautiful place. It had birds, trees, and land. The main difference between the realms was the sky: Heaven had a pearly white, Earth had a beautiful blue and Hell had an interesting mix of red and black swirls.

The blond shook his head. It had been a little past six months ago that Naruto had left Sasuke and the others. Not a day went by that he did not think of the raven-haired young man.

_Just a little bit farther and I'll be able to go back, _he thought to himself.

**Go back? If you were so intent on going back, why haven't you?** Kyuubi rumbled in the back of his mind.

A scowl crossed Naruto's face. _You know perfectly well why not._

**Do I?**

_You should. _

**You are afraid.**

Naruto rolled his eyes. _Well yeah. You saw what happened to Gaara. I don't want that happening to Sasuke or any of the others._

**But mostly Sasuke**, the Demon whispered knowingly.

Naruto nodded in defeat. _Yeah. Mostly Sasuke._

The two were silent again, enjoying the gradual lighting of the land as the crimson sun rose. It cast long red streaks of light across the swirling sky, creating a rather amazing effect.

**You need to make a choice, Naruto. And soon, you will need help for what you are trying to do.**

Naruto lifted his chin stubbornly. _I will not allow anyone close tome put themselves in danger._

Kyuubi sighed. **They will do what they will whether you **_**allow**_** them to or not**.

Naruto glowered at nothing, considering that he was having a conversation in his own head. _We won't be contacting anyone, do I make myself clear?_

Kyuubi snickered. **Too late**.

Naruto's eyes widened. _What?_

**I already got word out nearly a month ago. Of course, I had to put it in code for safety reasons, but one of them will probably figure it out soon.**

Naruto bit his lip. _Who did you get word to?_

**The blond girl. Gaara's kin.**

_Temari?_

**If that is her name, then yes.**

_When did you do this?_

**I did it while you were sleeping. Now, if you'll continue whatever it is that you do, I'm getting some sleep.**

With that, the presence of the former Demon King faded into the back of the blond's mind. Naruto sighed, muttering curses. This argument was a common one. In the past six months, Naruto and the Demon King had butted heads over the issue at least once a week, sometimes more. Sighing, the hybrid Immortal stood and stretched. There was no use fretting what was over and done. If Temari or anyone from home ever found him, he would have to explain to them that he didn't want nor need his help.

This being decided, Naruto went off to catch him some dinner.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke and Temari had been walking for quite a while when the Demon told her companion to stop. There were in a nice secluded section of a park, where the trees were so close together that you could barely see through them.

"This'll do," she said.

"Do for what?" he asked.

Temari just grinned at him. "You'll see."

With that, Temari muttered something in a language that almost hurt Sasuke's ears to listen to. A loud crack split the skies as the ground rumbled. Temari stared blankly ahead of her until large iron black gates appeared. As soon as the gates had fully materialized, the shaking stopped.

The blond stepped up to the Gate and pressed a hand against it. "Come on, Sasuke. Let's see if you really are Immortal," she said. With a grunt, she pushed the door open and skipped inside.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment. He didn't know what would happen if he walked here. He stared up at the Iron Gates. He had to make the decision here. He could turn and run. He could disappear. He could be free. He didn't have to do any of this. This was crazy. This was insane. He just… wanted a normal life. A normal life with… no. He couldn't do any of that. He couldn't run. He couldn't hide. He couldn't disappear.

Because he would hate himself.

With a deep breath, the boy slipped through the door. Pain shot through his temples. It almost felt like his head would split apart. He gripped his hair, pulling at it without even realizing what he was doing, hoping… hoping that it would be enough to make the pain go away. It hurt worse than anything that he ever felt. Everything was swirling. Nothing was right. Everything was distorted, upside-down, blurred together. He had to close his eyes against this vision in front of him. It was too much for him to take.

Then, it suddenly stopped.

"You can open your eyes," Temari whispered in his ear. "Congrats. You're definitely an Immortal. Let's go."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked around. A dark falcon swam through the sky, skimming the treetops with a small cry. The wind rushed at him, dancing through his clothes as he took in the landscape… that looked very much like many he had seen on Earth.

"It's…" he began.

"Just like Earth?" Temari finished. "What'd you expect?"

"Fire and brimstone."

"It's a little less Catholic here."

The Uchiha glared, sitting on the ground.

Temari smiled at him. "Amateur's mistake. It's all right. But the only difference between Heaven, Earth and Hell is the sky and the magical ability of the occupants. Different species. It happens. Earth is the least magical, but most technological. Each has its good and it's bad, I suppose."

Sasuke nodded, taking in this new information. "So… uh… okay. Where are we heading now?"

Temari grinned. "The Armory. Don't worry. You'll like Zabuza. He makes the best weaponry _ever_. Oh, but first I should close the Gate."

She walked back over to the Gate, murmuring in that Ancient language. As she reached out her hand, a loud cry startled her. Sasuke and Temari stared at the Gate as two figures jumped through the Gate. The large, burly form of a dog shot through first, landing softly on his padded paws. The second figure was humanoid. He, too, squeezed through the Gate before they could shut.

"Shikamaru?" Sasuke let out as he recognized who was there. "Akamaru?" The dog barked in confirmation.

Sasuke let out a strangled sound, completely ignoring when Temari finally closed the Gate completely.

The blond Demon turned to the two newcomers angrily. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she snarled.

Akamaru barked, as though trying to answer.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You need help. We're here."

"How did you know it was my Gate?"

"Lucky guess."

Temari glowered at the two. "Fine, you can join. I take it you have your own weapon, Shikamaru?"

"Yes."

"Good. Sasuke and I need to visit the Armory. You are not to enter. Do you understand?"

Shikamaru nodded. Akamaru did as well. The dog walked over to Sasuke, sitting right next to him, tail thumping on the ground. He sniffed the boy and then licked his cheek. Sasuke shot at glare at this, but the dog just nuzzled the Uchiha instead of paying attention to the look he was being given.

Temari, watching the exchange, felt the anger drain out of her. If nothing else, she could see that Akamaru accepted Sasuke as his new partner. The pup was probably hurting at the loss of Kiba. However, there was still some sort of abstract beauty in the mutt poking Sasuke in the cheek with his nose.

"Come on, let's move out," Temari said. "Day's going to end soon and I want to get to the Armory before that."

The others agreed and they all set out. Akamaru stayed by Sasuke's side diligently, unless he got distracted by some new scent.

An hour later, the suns were setting, and a large block building showed itself a half mile away. It was foreboding, with no windows, as it stood silently against the blood red sky.

They reached the door. Temari turned towards their Angelic companions. "Wait here. If someone comes by, then hide. We don't want anyone to know of your presence yet. Especially Zabuza. He's a Demon, all right."

Shikamaru nodded, having heard of the name Zabuza before. Akamaru whined when he realized that he couldn't follow Sasuke.

The Uchiha looked down, not quite sure how to deal with this newfound companion. However, in some silly way, the pup reminded him of Naruto before Naruto and Amatsu had merged, and therefore, he had a certain fondness for the mutt already. "I'll be back," he promised. He leaned over and ruffled the pup's ears. Akamaru licked his hand and sat down, tail no longer wagging as he looked up at Sasuke with eyes that were far too intelligent.

Shikamaru gave a small smile. "We'll be waiting," he promised.

Temari and Sasuke nodded before entering the building. The inside was just as foreboding as the outside. The front entrance opened to show a dark hallway, dimly lit by lanterns spaced every few feet. As soon as they entered, the door slammed behind them. Sasuke looked at it warily, trying to figure out how that could have happened with no wind, but Temari paid it no attention. Confidently, she walked down the hallway. Sasuke, after a moment of staring at the door, followed her.

At the end of the hallway was a large wooden door. The brown shone ominously due to a small lamp on either side of the frame. Sasuke gritted his teeth against the trickle of uneasiness that was dripping down his spine.

"Relax," Temari whispered. "It's only Zabuza."

Sasuke glared at her. The blonde shrugged and opened the door to a large room. It was better lit than the hallway, though not by much. It was completely empty except for a large wooden desk. At the desk sat a man. His face was covered in bandages, except for his eyes – ones that scowled at the world around him. He was shirtless, with muscles that bulged against his skin. Lying innocently on the table in front of him was a large sword. Sasuke couldn't even imagine lifting it. He was slightly put off by the lack of weapons, but his attention was drawn to the man when he spoke.

"Subaku Temari," the Demon whispered. His voice echoed throughout the entire chamber.

Temari smirked. "Momochi Zabuza."

There was a moment of silence between the two that had Sasuke clenching his hands open and closed.

"What brings you to my establishment?" Zabuza asked.

"Weapons. And information."

"Payment?"

"I have some."

"We'll discuss that later. The usual?"

Temari nodded. "This guy also needs something."

Zabuza, for the first time, turned to look at Sasuke. "And who is this?"

Before Sasuke could say a word, Temari intervened. "An ally."

"Where's he from? He doesn't smell of Hell."

"He's complicated," the blonde Demon responded with a note of finality in her voice.

Zabuza nodded. "Kid, what do you prefer?"

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"Weaponry. What are you going for?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Katana."

Zabuza snarled. "That's not interesting, but it's your choice."

Sasuke glared.

The Demon chuckled at the boy's expression. "Haku!" he called.

A young man walked in. Sasuke's eyes widened. It was obviously a man, but Haku was the prettiest man that the Uchiha had ever seen.

"Zabuza-san?" the man asked politely. His entire demeanor seemed polite and subservient, but Sasuke didn't really trust that.

"I need materials for a Subaku special and get me the ingredients for a firestone katana for the twerp."

"Yes, Zabuza-san," the man said as he bowed to the customers and left.

"He's polite," Temari commented.

Zabuza nodded. "Yes. You mentioned information. What do you need?"

"What I say does not leave this conversation."

"It never does."

Satisfied at the answer, Temari gave a short nod. "Uzumaki Naruto's current whereabouts and Uchiha Itachi's partner in Heaven."

Zabuza rested his chin on his hand. "That is some pretty hefty information. What are you planning to do with it?"

Temari looked at him blankly. "We're going to meet up with Uzumaki and stop this war."

Zabuza laughed. "Stop the war? You? That's a joke."

Temari grinned. "I love war, as do my brothers, but this war feels wrong. Gaara was the first to notice it."

"It's a war," the elder Demon retorted. "It's supposed to feel wrong if you think too much about it."

"There's too much not making sense about it. The missing couriers, the misinformation, everything. There's too much trickery here."

Zabuza sat against the back of his chair, looking down at her. "I wondered if anyone else noticed that. I don't know Uchiha's partner. Whoever they are, they are Guardian or higher. Perhaps one of the Kages. Uzumaki Naruto, however, I do know. For a small price, I can configure a compassigem to lock onto him at all times. If you don't want that, he was last seen roughly sixty-three kilometers from the Akatsuki Castle, in the town of Plenhansed. He seems to be heading toward the castle, but not in a straight line. You should be able to catch him in about a week on foot."

"We'll take the gem. Just in case."

Zabuza nodded.

A moment later, Haku walked back in, carrying a black leather case which he put on Zabuza's desk.

"Anything else, Zabuza-san?"

"A compassigem."

Haku nodded and went to retrieve it. Zabuza took the materials out of the case that Haku had dropped on his desk and placed them side by side on the table. Sasuke couldn't quite understand what he was going to do. He had steel, cloth, all sorts of different things, but nothing substantial. A red stone about three inches in diameter caught Sasuke's attention. Without warning of any kind, the Demon raised his arm, which was now crackling with some type of misty lightning and slammed in onto the table. A brilliant white flash blinded the two onlookers. When the light cleared, a giant fan and a katana lay innocently on the table near the large sword that Sasuke could only assume was Zabuza's.

Sasuke was staring in wonder. So that's why the Armory didn't have any weapons. They were all made. Probably with some sort of personal touch to each customer.

_This can't be cheap_, was all he thought.

"Test them," the burly Demon encouraged. "See how they feel."

Sasuke eagerly grabbed the red and blue hilt of the katana. He felt a jolt run up both of his arms. He couldn't believe how _right_ this weapon felt in his hands. Trembling slightly with anticipation, he slowly unsheathed the blade. It shown with silver fire, with one long red streak down the exact center of the metal. Sasuke was in awe of this weapon.

Temari, too, had grabbed her weapon. She snapped open the giant fan, holding it lovingly. "Zabuza, I think these may be your finest work yet. You gonna charge me extra for that?"

Zabuza shook his head. "Just bring me the head of Uchiha Itachi. That's the only payment I require for all of this. Also, so they can't be traced back to me if or when you fail… those weapons will self-destruct when you die."

Once again, Haku interrupted the conversation with his entrance. "I have already configured this, Zabuza-san," he said.

Zabuza nodded his approval, handing the compassigem over. "Enjoy the fight. Kill someone for me. _Please_."

Temari nodded, accepting the small green gem that was handed to her, placing it in her pocket. She snapped the fan shut, storing it in the holster she had strapped to her back. She smirked up at Zabuza. "See ya around, old man. Haku. Come on, Sasuke."

The Uchiha nodded and followed her out of the building, not quite sure what to think of Zabuza or his polite assistant.

As soon as they exited, Sasuke found himself on the ground with a large white dog standing over him; jaws open in what can only be conceived as a smile.

"Dammit, Akamaru," he grumbled. The dog only yipped happily in return. Sasuke sighed and shoved Akamaru off him. "Come on, dumb mutt."

The Angelic dog stayed right at his heels.

Shikamaru turned to Temari as soon as they began to walk again. "Did you get what you came for?"

The blond nodded. "I did."

"Good."

"I also got a compassigem that will show us where to find Naruto. It's attuned to his energy."

"How do we know it'll lead us the right way?"

Temari shrugged. "Zabuza's an old family friend. He was quite the formidable demon in his time. Now he honestly just hates Itachi… who we need to kill. So he's all for helping, so long as we bring back Itachi's head."

"I see," Shikamaru stated evenly. "Where are we headed next?"

"To Naruto. Kankarou can find me when he wishes to. He's off gathering information about the war anyway, so it would be silly to interrupt him."

"Which way is Naruto then?"

Temari grinned. "One last stop."

Both Sasuke and Shikamaru looked at her when they heard this. "One last stop?" they repeated.

"Yes," she replied. "Transportation."

The two men exchanged a look while Akamaru barked.

"Here we are," the Demon called, leading the way into another large building. This time, it was a stable with long lines of black steeds. Fiery red manes drifted from their necks; where feathers would have been on a draft horse, these animals had flames licking around their lower legs. Bright burning eyes or fathomless black depths stared at the group with interest.

"What are they?" Sasuke asked.

"Hellsteeds," Temari answered. "Fastest way to travel in all of Hell."

"We… ride these?"

Temari looked over at him as though he had just sprouted another head. "No. Carriage."

"Carriage?"

"Yeah."

"I've never… I… don't like horses."

"Suck it up."

That line quieted the Uchiha. He sat on a chair near the entrance, sulking. Akamaru went over next to him and laid his head on the boy's lap.

Temari rolled her eyes, obviously not in the mood to deal with Sasuke's brooding and turned to Shikamaru. "Stay with him. I'll get us a steed and carriage."

Shikamaru nodded. Temari disappeared down the corridor, the animals reaching their noses towards her as she passed.

The Scout turned to Sasuke. It was awkward with just the two of them. "How… have you been?" the Angel asked.

Sasuke looked up at him. "Lonely," he answered truthfully, almost surprised at what he said. "Where's Hyuuga?"

"Mortal. Can't enter Hell," Shikamaru responded.

"That's… unfortunate," the Uchiha said without really meaning it. He was glad that Neji wasn't here. He didn't need to be butting heads with the Guardian whenever an issue came up, and he knew that they would be doing so. It was not uncommon knowledge that the two would never get along. The only one that believed they might see past their differences was Naruto, and he wasn't here to keep the peace.

"I hope we can find Naruto soon," Sasuke commented after a moment.

Shikamaru nodded, looking at the forlorn man. He didn't want to mention the age gap or the fact that one day Sasuke would die and that that would hurt Naruto more than anything else. The two descended into silence, each one thinking their own thoughts.

A half an hour later, Temari returned. "Come on," she said, beckoning them closer. "We've got ourselves a horse and carriage."

She led them around back of the building where there was a large Hellsteed already hooked up to a beautiful black and red carriage. The roof of the carriage was down and the seats were made of velvet. Sasuke looked at it warily.

"Come on, Sasuke, suck it up. Seriously. You call yourself a man?"

"I just don't like horses! It's no need to get on my case about it!" the Uchiha growled back, obviously perturbed at the thought of being afraid of a mere animal.

"His name's Diego. You'll get used to calling him that if you're going to stick around him," the woman explained. "Hellsteeds are intelligent and if they don't like you, well… you won't really exist anymore. Powerful creatures. I love them."

Sasuke drew in a deep breath and entered the carriage, making sure to sit in the back, as far away from Diego as he could possibly go.

Shikamaru grinned and sat in the seat next to Sasuke and Kankarou sat across from them. Akamaru took a few minutes to sniff Diego, and Diego regarded the animal with interest. The two finally seemed satisfied with each other and Akamaru hopped into the back of the carriage. Shikamaru closed the door behind the heavenly dog. Temari sat in the driver's seat.

Sasuke stole one glance at her as she gathered up the lines that were used to drive. "Do you even know how to drive this thing?" he asked.

"Of course," the blonde replied. She turned back to the front. "Get up!"

The horse began to plod along. The pace was quick and the carriage was bouncy. Every time they hit a bump or crack in the road, Sasuke thought that he was going to fly from the velvet seats and be left behind.

Shikamaru looked positively bored next to him. "Calm down and just enjoy the ride," he told the Uchiha.

With another deep breath, Sasuke squashed the fear he held in his body, trying to remain calm. Akamaru stared at him with those intelligent eyes and bounded over to him, making the carriage shake more. Sasuke's grip on the side was making his knuckles turn white.

The dog climbed up onto the seat in between Sasuke and Shikamaru and lay down, resting his hand on Sasuke's lap, his paws on the man's leg.

Sasuke allowed a brief smile at the dog, knowing that he was just trying to get Sasuke to feel more comfortable, but Sasuke didn't think he would ever be comfortable in this contraption. This evil, evil, evil contraption.

Thus the group began their journey to find Naruto.

* * *

It was two days. Two days later that they were nearing the town that Zabuza had told them. Kankarou had caught up along the way and sat next to his sister on the driver's seat. Sasuke had slowly gotten used to the feeling of almost being thrown with each step of Diego's fiery hooves. In fact, while he still wasn't comfortable around Diego, he didn't mind the carriage ride as much anymore.

It was Shikamaru's shout that alerted them all that they were growing close to their target. "There he is," Shikamaru said. He could see the familiar spiky blond hair flitting through the trees.

Temari nodded and urged Diego faster. The steed let out a piercing whinny as his speed increased.

Hearing the horse, Naruto looked back, eyes widening when he saw the carriage quickly approaching him. He couldn't tell who was driving it, but he couldn't outrun it. He skidded to a stop, hoping the carriage would just pass him by.

He didn't have that luck. As it drew closer, he finally saw who was there. He stared at the open-aired carriage neutrally. They were here and he was less than pleased about their presence.

"Temari and Kankarou I can understand," he finally stated, "but the rest of you?"

Akamaru barked, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he recognized the blond.

Naruto ignored the pup. "Go home."

Sasuke opened the carriage door and stepped down, standing in front of Naruto. He stood, staring down the shorter blond. "You honestly want me to go home?" he asked quietly.

Naruto looked away from the Uchiha. "You don't belong here."

"That's not what I asked."

"That's the only answer."

"Stop this bullshit and _tell_ me."

The blond quieted. He chewed on his bottom lip. Finally, with a sigh, he said, "Yes. I honestly want you to go home."

Sasuke drew in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "I see."

He slowly turned and entered the carriage again. He sat on the far side, away from Naruto and turned to the expanse of trees that was immediately in his vision. _What was I thinking_? he growled in his mind. _I come here, what did I expect? He left me. Did I honestly think that he didn't want to? How fucking naïve could I be?_

He could feel the anger growing beneath his skin, choking him. He stood, leaving the carriage and walking away, not even realizing that he left the katana from Zabuza on the carriage seat. Akamaru growled at Naruto before following Sasuke.

Shikamaru watched his friend leave. He turned to Naruto. "Troublesome," he growled.

Temari's nostrils flared as her rage peaked. "Idiot!" she yelled at the other blond. "You're a _fucking_ moron!"

"Why?" Naruto asked, honestly confused. He was just trying to protect the human – so why was everyone getting on his back about it?

"Do you honestly not get it? He… you're a fucking moron!"

"He what?"

Temari glared at him. "Ask him yourself. Kankarou, we're setting up camp here."

The younger demon nodded. "Okay."

Shikamaru stood with Kankarou, exiting the carriage. He stopped next to Naruto. "It's not my business much, what happened between you two. But… he's been hurting a lot. You've no right to judge him. Remember, you're the one who left him with no explanation."

"I-I gave him an-"

"Do you honestly think that's enough? Did you honestly think he wouldn't be hurt?"

"He-"

"You left us all, Naruto." Shikamaru sighed. "Then we left him to find you. He's pretty much been alone since you left. Kiba's dead."

Naruto looked stricken. "Kiba's dead?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Now seemed the best time to tell you. I need to set up camp." Shikamaru walked toward where Temari and Kankarou were already beginning to make a fire pit and lay out bedrolls.

Naruto stood, shocked at his friends' attitude towards him. He looked off in the direction Sasuke and Akamaru had gone, wondering if he would be given a chance to explain why he had left. With a muttered curse, he stomped off in the direction of his friend.

Sasuke kicked a stone as he walked through the darkening trees, the warm bulk of Akamaru by his side. Though Sasuke wanted to be alone, part of him was glad Akamaru was with him. He had grown used to the pup's constant attendance.

As he walked, he placed a hand in Akamaru's fur.

"I don't get it," he confessed to the pup. The dog looked up at him. "I… I don't want gratitude for coming here. A 'hello' would be nice. A 'how have you been since I've left you' would be good. Fuck, I shouldn't have come here." He sighed, breaking through the trees into a rather dreamy meadow. Sasuke sat, leaning against a tree at the edge. Akamaru stood guard. "What am I doing here, Akamaru?"

The dog whined, licking Sasuke's nose.

"I don't suppose you know either, do you?"

The dog stared at him with eerie intelligence.

"You're a good one. Don't know how you do it. With Kiba and all, now with me. You find us probably dumb with all the problems we have. Maybe I'm just not… right for any of this. It doesn't make sense – any of it. It-"

He was cut off by a low growl from Akamaru. Sasuke looked around, trying to catch whatever Akamaru had detected. He trusted Akamaru. He trusted the mutt to alert him to any danger. He couldn't see anything but got to his feet, hands raised. He had forgotten his katana in the carriage.

"Who's there?" he asked, trying to show confidence.

"Little, bitty Sasuke, long way from home," a guttural voice replied.

Akamaru's fur bristled. He let out a long, wailing how and shot off through the trees.

"Mutt!" the Uchiha yelled after him but the dog paid him no mind. Muttering a few choice swears, he turned back. A large demon stood in front of him, holding a giant sword. The demon was blue with yellow eyes and the face of a shark.

Sasuke stumbled back. "Who are you?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame," the demon replied cordially. "I am an associate of Uchiha Itachi."

Sasuke could feel the rage building at just the mention of his brother's name. He gritted his teeth. "And what are you _here_ for?" he asked cautiously.

"You." The demon grinned. "Meet Samahade."

The blue demon swung the large weapon down at Sasuke, who barely managed to jump out of the way. Fear coursed through him. He was unarmed and alone against a demon that smelled of blood. Kisame was worse than Zabuza in that regard and Sasuke once again questioned what he was doing in Hell. He ducked under another swing of the mighty weapon. Kisame attacked again, this time catching Sasuke's arm. Instead of just cutting the skin like Sasuke anticipated, the demon raked the weapon down his flesh causing agonizing pain. As the sword stripped skin and muscle, he couldn't help the scream that escaped him.

"I don't see why Itachi is obsessed with you, Incarnate," Kisame taunted. "Look at you. You don't even remember anything from before, do you? We've always heard how powerful the Incarnate is and you can't even fight to save yourself. Pathetic." He grinned maliciously as he raked Samahade across Sasuke's back. "I should kill you right now, but Itachi has something else planned for you."

The demon abandoned his weapon and grabbed Sasuke's neck. Sasuke instinctively grasped the iron grip holding him, trying to peel it away. His struggles were in vain. This demon was a lot stronger than he was.

_Shh_, his mind told him in a voice that sounded like an older version of himself. _Don't worry. We'll take care of you_.

_Who are you?_ Sasuke asked.

_We are you_, came the reply.

His vision was hazy now as dark blue energy rippled around him. Kisame looked at the boy, a sly grin on his face. His mission from Itachi was complete. He dropped the boy and gathered Samahade to make his exit.

He was surprised when a small crouched form appeared in front of him. The blue aura still surrounded the young man. When Sasuke spoke, it sounded like several people speaking with the same voice, just a bit out of sync.

"You hurt ourselves, funny demon," he said.

Hoshigaki smiled. This might be something worth fighting and his demon blood never turned away from a fight. He brought Samahade swinging down at top speed. It didn't even come close. Sasuke had jumped up, crashing his full body weight on the blade as Kisame swung down. The added weight knocked the weapon from the demon's hands. Sasuke didn't stop to look at the shark demon's expression as he balanced on his hands and swung his feet around to knock Kisame down. He sprung up once again, landing on Kisame's exposed torso. He raised his right arm, the energy around it narrowing to a point.

"Goodbye," he said, stabbing the demon through the neck with his energy blade. A moment later, Sasuke's head cleared and he could think clearly again.

_You are good for us_, the voice spoke up from the recesses of his mind.

_What happens next?_ the Uchiha wanted to know.

_You get our memories and we become you_.

_Will it hurt?_

_Yes._

The process began and with it, Sasuke let out a piercing scream. He didn't stay conscious long. The world blackened as the memories found a new home behind Sasuke's closed eyes.

* * *

When he awoke again, he was safely at the campsite they were calling home. He felt different. It wasn't an obvious change. He was still himself but at the same time he wasn't. He felt, rather than saw, the bandages wrapped around his arm and torso. The warm bulk at his side alerted him that Akamaru was with him. He cracked his eyes open, trying to get used to the light. He shifted, just a few small movements, but it was enough to show someone that he was conscious.

"Sasuke," a familiar voice whispered. Sasuke tore his eyes away from the red and black sky to stare into the beautiful blue eyes of Naruto.

The blond looked different – not in any actual physical difference, but there was a subtle shift around the edges. He had a color, a bright summer sky blue against the background. The aura framed him, made him complete.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" the hybrid asked.

"Naruto…" the boy whispered, his voice scratchy from misuse and probably from the screaming that he was sure he had done while he was unconscious. Not all of his memories… these new memories that made no sense were good ones. He didn't understand the changing of the world around him or why his mind felt so laden. He wasn't sure what the voice in his head had meant while he was fighting Kisame but he knew that Naruto knew. Naruto could answer the question.

"Yes?" the blond asked, not quite sure what he was getting at.

"I… what am I?" the raven-haired wondered, drawing his eyes away from those of his friend and back to the swirling mass of sky above. He sighed. "You know, don't you? Kyuubi or something must have told you. It doesn't make sense. How is Itachi my brother if he was born like a thousand years ago? I don't get it." He sighed and looked away from Naruto towards the bulk of Akamaru, still peacefully sleeping against Sasuke's side. "I don't get it."

The smile all but disappeared from Naruto's face. He had a closed expression when he next spoke. "You're the Incarnate."

Sasuke ran a hand through Akamaru's thick fur. "The what?"

"The Incarnate. The true Immortal. The eternally reborn. Whenever you die, you come back and always in the form of Uchiha Sasuke. You can't die – your soul, I mean. Itachi is your brother and five hundred years ago, you were born to a family of demons. But you died. He's kept his eye on you ever since."

"So… I'll always exist?"

Naruto nodded, unable to vocally respond.

"I'll always exist – and never truly die."

Again, the blond nodded.

"So that's why I remember…" he spoke. His voice was so soft that Naruto barely caught what he was saying. Remember. It triggered something. Naruto seemed familiar, but the boy now held so many memories that he could not easily sift through them to find the answer. He had met Naruto before – in some other lifetime. He did, however remember clearly a conversation between Neji and Naruto that he had overheard when Neji had first arrived. A conversation that had always confused him.

"_Naruto," Neji has spoken so softly that Sasuke had barely heard him through the door he was leaning against."Why are you on Earth?"  
_

_"Got lost. I was trying to deliver a message. And I got lost," Naruto replied quickly.  
_

_"Are you sure?"  
_

_"Yes."  
_

_"Has Heaven changed so much that the Gates to Hell and Earth aren't guarded or large? Are there now accidental Gates?"  
_

_"No. It hasn't."_

Sasuke shook his head to clear the memories. Those memories weren't important to ask about right now. "Naruto," he finally began, trying to sit up. A rush of pain made him gasp and thump quietly down into the bedroll once again. Naruto hurried closer to him, keeping a gentle hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Why did you come to Earth?" He moved his un-bandaged arm from Akamaru's thick fur in order to touch Naruto's cheek.

"W-what do you mean?" was the defensive reply.

"Why do you look familiar? Did I know…?" Sasuke felt the pain coming up, clouding the edge of his vision. "Naruto…"

The blond smiled mysteriously. He reached his own hand up to hold Sasuke's. "Thirty Earth years ago, you came to Heaven, somehow. You saw a group of men… a mob, more or less, beating a small boy who was crying and didn't know how to fight, for it was after his time in Hell and he was now a pacifist. You walked over to them and defended the small boy. The mob left and you turned, helping this child – for that is what he seemed to you – to his feet. After making sure that he wasn't too injured, you left with a smile and a wave, saying 'See you later.' The boy was naïve and waited, but you never came back. So three years ago, he set off to find you. For a year, he searched across heaven, but you weren't there. So he decided he would sneak to Earth. He waited for the Gate's shift change before stealing out of the Gateway and into Earth. He was afraid he would have to spend another year, or more, searching the Earth. He was confused about why he was so powerless, not knowing much about the differences of energy between the three realms.

"One night, roughly a week after he started his search, he was walking along, minding his own business when he was attacked by a group of drunks. They wanted things from him that he would not understand, nor give. He still didn't know how to fight, but he could yell. And so he did. He yelled and yelled, hoping that someone would hear. And just like before, you came to save him. Only you were younger than he remembered so this boy didn't recognize you. But you took him in and cared for him, protecting him and eventually, the boy remembered what he once was, thus remembering who and what you were. And he was happy."

Sasuke smiled, pulling Naruto down to his side and wrapped his injured arm around the blond. He placed a kiss in the hybrid's sun-kissed hair and smiled. "So you came to Earth to find me?"

Naruto looked up, planting a kiss on Sasuke's jaw. "And you came here to find me."

"We're a funny pair, aren't we?"

Naruto snuggled closer, making sure not to hurt Sasuke or aggravate his wounds. "No," he denied. "But we are a pair."

Sasuke just smiled and didn't say a word. The two lay there for what seemed like years, only basking in the warmth of the other… and Akamaru, who slept peacefully beside them.


End file.
